The Detective's Assassin
by Hotori
Summary: L needs someone to help him with the case, but even though she's 100 percent willing to help, he just can't use her like a tool. LXOC Read, Enjoy and Review! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

The Detective's Assassin

Disclaimer: I in no way own Death Note. However, this I will say. I hate Light, he's evil. L is justice, and justice shall prevail.

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L stared at the computer screen, which flickered once more, and eventually went out. His gaze didn't drift away. He picked up the coffee cup, drumming his fingers against the rim. This wasn't enough, it still wasn't enough. Yagami Light's suspicions maybe rising, but he doesn't have enough evidence, not enough to prove Yagami Light is Kira. There's only one way, but did he want to use it? It is a dangerous case; can he really risk putting someone else's life in danger? The most important question, Light is his friend; did he even want to prove that Yagami Light is Kira? Could he?

The investigation team had left, and L went over another day's findings. He shook his head, he had to do it. No one but him can solve this case. He cannot let his emotions get the better of him, they never did anyway. No, he had to do it. He needed her, now more than ever. He need her skills, her interpretation, he had to solve the case. L picked up the phone.

"Hello?" the voice came from the other side, "What do you want?"

"This is L." L answered.

"I know you're L, I'd recognize your voice anywhere. What can I do for you L?"

L closed his eyes for a moment, and sipped the sweetened coffee. "I need your help on solving a case, Anna-san."

"Me? What case is so hard you have to work with me, L?" she laughed slightly on the other side of the line, "So this Kira, you really can't handle him by yourself?"

"Would you help or not?" L asked impatiently.

"What do you think?" the voice replied, "You saved me from facing a bunch of crazy executioners with guns. Of course I'd help, who do you think Kira is? I'll kill him for you."

"I have a hunch, but I need more evidence." L replied, setting down the coffee to pop a sugar cube in his mouth. "If I'm correct, he's already seen my face."

The voice paused on the other side, instantly serious, "Give me 6 hours." She said, and then the line went dead.

"Anna…" L murmured, sipping his coffee, he curled into his sitting position on his chair. "Anna…can you defeat Kira, defeat death?" his bagged eyes focused on the very ripples of his coffee, can he lose another person that he trusted? Possibly the only one who under stood his thoughts? He closed his eyes. The image of her face floated behind his eyelids, reminding him of their last meeting.

"_Trust me."_

L's eyes shot open.

"_Trust me."_

L's eyes dimmed as he laughed at himself. What was he thinking? If anyone can do this, Anna can. He remembered the challenges of their case together. Him trying to figure her out, she always found a way out at the last moment, no matter how perfect his plans had been. Finding her had been as hard as a needle in the ocean, a pin in the haystack. She was a jewel, hidden in the world. She was a jewel that emanated dark light, until he found her, and changed that light, so it shone bright.

"_If you ever need my help, I'll take out anyone in your way."_

He'd never thought that statement would come true. Every case he had solved by him self, this time, this Kira case, he needed her for this case. She understood his sense of justice. Her skills and his mind will solve the case, even if they're dealing with a genius. A genius like Yagami Light.

L sipped the last of his coffee and bit off half a sugar cube. Kira, are you so blind that you cannot see yourself for the criminal you are? Yagami Light, you have a sense of justice much like that of Kira, you are also childish, you hate to lose, you have a relationship with the 2nd Kira, Amane Misa, what have you to deny? But…these are just theories, Light is an ordinary student, how can he kill without leaving a trace? L stuffed the rest of the sugar cube into his mouth. Anna will have to get him a piece of evidence, any piece of evidence, to prove that Yagami Light is, or is not, Kira. In the mean time, he would just have to live.

L picked up his cell phone and dialed. "Watari."

"Ryuuzaki." the familiar voice came from the other end.

"Please prepare a hotel room, not too far from here, make it secret." L ordered, reaching for the sugar cube bowl, then, realizing it's empty, grunted and sat back in his chair.

"You're going to switch hotels already?" Watari's puzzled voice came through, "We only got here yesterday. Never mind, I will do as you ask."

"It's not for me." L explained, "It's for Anna -san."

"Anna- san is coming?" Watari exclaimed, and L held the phone further from his face. "Ryuuzaki…this is the first case you had to work with someone other than the police."

"Her skills are necessary." L stated, "No one but she is skilled enough to get close to Light, I need evidence." His fingers twitched for the sugar cubes, finally, L stuffed his sugary thumb into his mouth, "Keep it secret from everyone, at least until I say so."

"I'll prepare the room straight away, Ryuuzaki."

"Ah, Watari," L mumbled, "I'll need more sugar cubes, coffee, cake, and tea."

"I'll bring them, also Ryuuzaki…" Watari trailed off, "Try to get some sleep, I'll wake you when I bring the sugar cubes, coffee, cake with extra icing, and black tea."

"I don't like sleeping." L grumbled to Watari, and then hung up the phone and placed it gently on the counter. He didn't still didn't like the idea of bringing Anna into this. L ruffled his hair in frustration, what was wrong with him? He'd been able to order the police officers around with calm composure, and they had their lives on the line. What difference is there with hers? Besides, she will only act on his commands, and he can make sure she doesn't do anything that puts her in harm's way. Something was wrong.

Still, he'll need to have a plan figured out before Anna gets here, then monitor for days on end, he'll need some sleep. L curled up is his sofa seat, his eyes were open, but his breathing slowed, as he drifted off to sleep.

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Author's Note: Well I hope you enjoyed this! The chapter will get longer and I will try my best to think up an ending for this fic! Suggestions welcome! Oh yea, after I introduce Anna to you guys, can you PLZ help me think up ways that they can…uhh…get together? I suck at making romance happen…and I have never written a romance scene in my life! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, it would be cool if i did though...heehee...

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Anna packed in exactly ten minutes and thirty seconds, mumbling here and there, forgetting things and dropping things all over the place. She had to get from Europe to Japan in six hours, not much choice but to pack fast.

"I wonder what kind of equipment I should take with me…" Anna murmured out loud. Kira can murder without leaving a trace, close range combat wouldn't do much for me. She thought, then quietly added to herself, "but with this many criminals running loose in the world…better take some after all."

She clipped the hidden blade to her lower arm, stored a slim dagger in her boot. Next came the thick crossed shaped needle that she wore as a necklace, and the star shaped earrings, which extends a small blade out of each point and has wire wrapped inside, making it perfect for throwing stars and are actually very deadly if it hits a vital spot. "As for long range," she murmured, "sniper rifle and archery is my specialty, those should do well."

She grabbed her bags and dashed out of the house.

On the plane, her assassin senses kicked into full action. She was alert to the entire environment, the sounds, the scents; every twitch of the shoulder and every look the people threw each other. She hasn't lost her touch. I'll be no good to L if I just show up as a liability, she thought. But L, if you're right about Kira having seen your face, doesn't that mean you're losing?

Anna tugged the end of her ponytail; her hair was black, hinted with streaks of brown, auburn, and tints of dark red. The flight attendant came around, and asked if she would like anything, Anna's amber eyes studied the waitress carefully, and ordered an orange juice. Silently, she etched the waitress's face into her mind.

Geez…I really have been slacking, that took more effort than usual. Anna recalled the image to her mind. Without practice her instincts have dulled, since no criminal or gang could stand up to her in Europe. It was time to sharpen her skills with this Yagami Light. Anna followed the flight attendant with her eyes, and frowned as she saw who the flight attendant was serving next.

_Amane Misa…_

Anna had hacked into the police investigation; she had as much information as any of them. Because cracking a simple password was nothing to assassins like her. A famous star being accused of being the 2nd Kira was no challenge to find out about either, but she didn't know that Amane Misa was here. L hasn't informed her of this.

No, she couldn't be sure. Anna switched her gaze and stared directly in front, while straining her ears to listen to every word. No good…she thought, and pulled a cell phone out of her purse. She plugged earphones to it; seemingly making an innocent call, then stretched out the antenna and pointed it in the direction of the flight attendant. Anna smiled as their conversation sprang to her ears.

"Misa would like some juice please!" the blonde girl smiled enthusiastically.

"Amane Misa?" the flight attendant exclaimed, "Of course! I've heard about you miss!"

Misa smiled again, "And is there something I could bring as a souvenir? Misa want to show Light what Misa saw in Europe, he's my boyfriend!"

Anna took the earphones from her ears and put the phone back into her purse. What was L thinking? He should've known Amane Misa was in Europe, he should've told her. Was he stupid? Did he want her to get killed? Idiot, L wasn't supposed to let something like that slip his mind! Anna calmed herself, when she gets her hands on him…he is in so much trouble…

I am in so much trouble… L thought, burying his face in his hands. She's going to kill me; she's going to kill me! L hugged his knees even closer to himself. Amane Misa is also in Europe to do a photo shoot, she will be back soon too…and coincidentally… on the same plane as Anna. He should've known; why had he forgotten to mention that itsy bitsy detail? What had he been thinking of at the time? L reflected back on himself.

Right…he was thinking of why he didn't want to put her into a dangerous case like this…

So…doesn't forgetting to mention this count as putting her into even more danger than she is in?

Not necessarily, if she doesn't know, she will be able to act natural, and get here without raising Amane Misa's suspicions. Yes…that's a good enough excuse. L picked up his coffee and sipped it lightly, frowned, and dropped two more sugar cubes in it. L glanced at the clock 10 more minutes…he should get ready to meet her.

L picked up his cell phone with three fingers and dialed with another, "Watari?"

"L." Watari replied.

"Call the investigation team and tell them to arrive three hours later than usual." L explained, "I have to get ready to meet "her"."

"Yes sir." Watari replied, and L hung up the phone. Now then…she should be arriving at the hotel right about now.

L's thoughts were interrupted by sudden banging that came from the door. L jumped from his chair, "Well…unless she came here first." He finished his thought out loud, then stepped into the living room to open the door. He opened it just a crack.

"L." A girl peeked in from the other side.

"Anna san." L replied, then stepped aside to let her in.

Anna stepped through the door and gave L a tight embrace. "Thank god you're okay." She sighed with relief, "What were you thinking? Showing your face to Kira, you could've died!"

L gently pried himself away from the girl, "Don't worry about it, if I die, there's still Near, and Mello." He studied Anna, who didn't even try to conceal the worry written all over her face. However, when L more closely examined her face, a twitch betrayed the girl's true intentions. L took a step back, Anna smiled.

She stepped in quickly, and then moved even faster. She got behind L's back and hooked one arm around his neck, the other around his waist, to lock him in a strangle hold. "Long time no see L" Anna smirked.

L moved his free hand and grabbed the elbow around his neck, moving it ever so slightly, just enough to get his chin in the crack of the elbow. Then he dragged her elbow downwards, and flipped her over his shoulder, freeing himself from the hold. "You too, Anna san." He replied, "You put on a good show there, certainly, you actually had me thinking that you were worried about me."

Anna turned over on her back the instant L threw her, and landed on her feet, her hands tightened into fists in front of her for balance. "I was worried about you." Anna smiled, and then her face twisted into an expression that scared even L. "But." She dashed forward and pinned L to the wall with an arm against his neck. "Why didn't you tell me about Amane Misa? You should've known she was in Europe, and was on the same flight as me!"

"Uhhh…see…" L mumbled, "I thought you'd be more comfortable without know her being there. Plus, if you stare at her all the time, she might be suspicious and tell her boyfriend, Yagami Light." L choked, "Now… Anna san…I can't breathe."

"There she is!" a voice called from the door, and several armed men busted through. Seeing the current position, they assumed that Anna was a threat and started to reach for their guns.

"L?" Anna whispered.

"What did you do this time?" L sighed, "And call me Ryuuzaki, they don't know I'm L."

"I'm going to need you for a second." Anna dragged L by his collar, grabbed the dagger from her boot, and placed the dagger by L's throat. "Please be my hostage." Fast as she was, Anna was still a bit late as several shots were made before they realized that L has been taken hostage.

"Looks like your men are willing to shoot you Ryuuzaki." she joked, and pulled L out of the bullet's path before deflecting another with her dagger. The men stopped shooting and looked at each other for ideas. Anna took the chance and whispered, "Ryuuzaki? Now would be a great time to just tell your men that I'm a friend."

L stepped in front of Anna and faced the men, "Guys, stop fooling around." He ordered, "She's a friend." L's men lowered their guns and stared at Anna. Then turning around, L frowned, "You too Anna, stop fooling around."

Anna shrugged and raised her hands above her head as a gesture of innocence, "It's all good now people, next time, you'll know to let me in right?" The men threw her looks of daggers, but Anna merely brushed them off.

"I suggest the same, don't mess with her." L added, and followed Anna. "Lock the door when you leave please." One by one, they left, the last one locking the door behind him. Throwing each other amused looks, L walked to his room, and Anna followed closely behind.

Anna was sitting on his favorite couch, but L had no problem with that; he simply crouched into his sitting position beside her, knowing she didn't mind. She took the dagger back out of her boot, which surprised him. For a second anyway, then reality struck him.

"They shot you."

"The bullet hit my arm, but it missed the bone, it only grazed me, I'll bandage my arm, no big deal." Anna replied, "You were heavier than I expected, that slowed my movements."

"Please do not make your lies so obvious." L replied tiredly, "You locked me in a strangle hold and threw me against the wall and pinned me there. If you're the Anna I know, you would've had perfect analysis of how much strength you needed." L fidgeted in his seat and popped a sugar cube into his mouth and chewed, "It was a lose-lose situation, either I get shot, or you, wasn't it?"

"Hm." She answered, "thanks to you though, it only grazed me." Anna turned her gaze towards L, "You stepped back with your left foot, pushing me to do the same and turning the angle of my body." She explained, "If it wasn't for you I would've been hit dead on."

"You're more observant than the last time we met." L stated

Anna looked away, her eyes shining, "You're the only one who can solve the case, I can't afford for you to be injured. Besides, if you were injured, then people would ask questions, and my being here will most likely be exposed." She sighed, "After that, I'll be nothing but a liability."

"You're not making much of a difference getting shot yourself. You won't be able to meet my expectations with that arm slowing you down." L muttered, taking his coffee from the table and drank it halfway. This was exactly what he was worried about.

Anna took the dagger and sliced the wound open, squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip as she did so. "My arm's nothing to worry about; it won't have much of an impact on my performance. I'll take your original plans. A mistake like this will not be repeated." She replied softly, and carefully started bandaging the wound.

"I'm afraid," L muttered, "of what might happen to you if you pushed yourself beyond your limits. The plans I had for you will be tough, even as you were." L looked at her, the room was dark, but L could tell she was biting her lip. Because of the wound, maybe, but she never fell prey to a wound, it had to be something else. L winced. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here after all." Anna moved her hand and caught a drop of blood before it hit the sofa, so she wouldn't leave evidence. "You shouldn't hide your pain; it makes me feel bad, guilty even." L added.

Anna laughed lightly, "Everything I do, I do willingly." She met L's gaze, "The same goes for this time. I don't regret what I have done. My emotions never get the better of me; I think everything through and pick what is best to do in a situation."

"I'm serious." L said, frowning.

"L?" Anna whispered, "How do you think I would feel if you died? What do you think I would do?" She hugged her knees to her chest. The pain had faded with the pain killer she took, but she could still feel the blood leaking out of her veins. Luckily the bullet didn't hit too deep, but would she really be of use to L?

"You'd take revenge for me." L drank the rest of his coffee, "You'd catch Kira." He thought for a moment more, "You would hide my death and take my place, as L."

"How do you know I won't die after you?" she laughed, "Am I that predictable?"

"You wouldn't do that." L replied calmly, and stuffed his mouth with a sugar cube. "You're just not that type of person; you wouldn't throw away your life…because you know I cherish it."

Anna stood up and walked over to her bag, "You flatter yourself L, but you are right, as always, I brought you your favorite cake from Europe." She tossed the cake to him, and he caught it swiftly, ready to devour. "But…"Anna sat down beside him, "I'm not stupid, I know I'm not as smart as you. I can never solve the case by myself. Without your calmness and intuition, Kira will get me sooner or later, you know that too don't you?" She glanced at him.

L removed his eyes from the cake and stared straight ahead.

"Yeah, I know."

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Chapter 2 END!

Author's Note: See? Isn't it longer? Anyway, I hope I get some more ideas from you! thanks for the idea Akizichi, but I was planning on Anna falling in love with L...i don't see why i can't use your idea though! Awesome reviews, thanks so much!

Light: I'm still not making an entrance.

Misa: Misa made an entrance!!

L: Hmm stuffs mouth with more cake

Anna: I thought I told you to shed some weight.

Hotori: heheh…

Light: Put me in the next chapter or I'll write your name in the Death Note

Hotori: I dare you to try

L: Death Note? Huh?

Anna: don't pretend to be dumb it doesn't suit you

L: No really, Death Note? Huh?

Hotori: She's right, it really doesn't suit you.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

(it would be awesome if i did... dreamy sigh)

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"L…you're not certain anymore, are you? You don't know if you'll come out of this alive, do you?"

"…You're right, I don't know."

Anna had gone back to her hotel; she slumped onto the sofa, her head against the armrest. That idiot, L. she thought. 'Find Near.' He had told her to find Near, why the hell would she want to find Near? It was him she wanted to stay with.

'If I die, I want you to find Near, you have to promise to find Near, or I will not let you on the case.' That had been his words. What was he saying? If he knows that he is going to die, then why did he even call her here from Europe? She concentrated her mind on the concept, drumming her fingers against her lips, a habit she had developed to when she was puzzled. After a few minutes of intense thinking, she found two answers.

Her logical side had told her, he wanted to accomplish something on the Kira case before he dies, and he needed your help.

Another side that she had never heard before had told her, he knows what you will do when you find out about his death, he wanted to protect you, and…he wanted to see you one last time.

She scoffed at the idea, one last time…that brings back memories. Five times, five times she had seen him in her lifetime. Each time she had thought it would be the last. Each time, she had cried.

_Flashback_

I stepped into the large building, following the man who had brought me there. "Anna, this is the place." He had told me, but I hadn't taken it in. I was much more concentrated on the cameras in the place, recording my image, my every move. I quickly spotted them all, the feat barely taking up a minute of my time. I scanned the area, looking for possible places to hide, attack, and escape. I had spotted them all; it was a usual training that I give myself. It wasn't my fault, I'm always like this, I'm…different.

I noticed a small boy too, scrunched up in a position on one of the chairs. He stared at me through his dark, mysterious onyx eyes. I looked up at the man who had led me here, never letting the boy fully out of my sight, "Wait here." He said, and then went somewhere to get my papers.

Ignoring him, I walked towards the boy, "Hello, what's your name?"

He didn't answer, but merely continued his observation.

"I'm Anna." I told him, he was a peculiar boy, but through his steady gaze, I sensed that I wasn't the first person he hasn't told his name to. The boy's eyes were wise and they were sharp, like needles, they would search through every corner to get to the bottom of a mystery. The boy was observant, like me.

"Your real name." he murmured, shuffling his feet together. "That's not your real name, what is it?"

I tensed at this statement, "Why should I tell you my real name, when you don't even tell me your name?"

"You don't know…" he murmured again, this time sticking his thumb inside his mouth. "Your real name, you don't know it."

I didn't know how he knew that I didn't know my real name. No one knew my real name, the only ones who knew were my parents, and they are somewhere, in this vast world.

"I come here to observe people." The boy continued, "I look through those glass windows, and I observe people on the street." He gestured over to the front of the building, where large windows stood, perfectly portraying those on the other side. "You weren't easy to read, but not particularly hard to understand either. Your actions, even the tiniest details, they give you away." He looked back to me, and when I didn't answer, he continued. "When I told you that Anna is not your real name, you tensed, but not because you don't want to tell me. If that was the case, you would've frowned, because you find me annoying, however, you were shocked, but not from the fact that I know that's not your real name, you knew that already, just from looking at me. You tensed in a way that tells me even you don't know your real name. Your excuse that followed up assured me of my theory."

The boy was smart; there was no doubt about that. He can see right through me. Now I know why he's been taken to this place. "You're smart." I tell him, "The way you sit, the way you suck your thumb and the way you shuffle your feet, you're just like me."

"How is that?" the boy asked, puzzled for the first time we met.

I didn't understand his puzzlement, wasn't it clear to him? "Not normal." I told him bluntly, "That's why I've been brought here, I have high athletic skills that are impossible to achieve by people my age. "I'm different, like many people call me, a freak."

To my surprise, the boy smiled, "Watari doesn't bring people here because they're abnormal." He cracked a smile for the first time we met, "He brings them here because they have high intelligence and a detective sense, or they're orphans." He locked eyes with me, telling me that he understood what I was talking about, "By the way, this is just a habit, or my reasoning abilities will reduce by 40. I'm quite normal, and in fact, so are you."

My eyes widened in surprise. That was the first time anyone had told me that I was normal, that I wasn't…something unnatural, something like a monster. Then the man came and caught me talking to him, he was quite upset for some reason, and as he led me away, he whispered these words into my ears.

"That boy…you will never see him again."

I hadn't cared much about the statement at the time. The boy didn't particularly mean that much to me, I didn't really care if I saw him again, I didn't even know his name. Unlike him, I wasn't brought here by Watari, I'm not here to be a detective, I'm here to make a deal. I helped some people test machines everyday with my abilities, they would offer me food, shelter, information, books, and they would help me find my parents.

I had thought things would be easy, that these men would just let me run on a few machines, however, I was wrong. They took me into a large room, full machines, and there, my abilities were tried to their limits. They gave me different things; they tested me, like a lab rat.

It was then that I remembered his words.

"…I'm quite normal, and in fact, so are you."

I dropped to my knees and cried.

_End Flashback_

This time isn't an exception either. She thought as a tear dripped down her cheek.

L…you can't die. But who was she to control that? Anna grabbed her pillow and hugged it, why was she feeling this way? She's only seen L five times in her life, why did she care if he died or not? Why was she even here, putting her life in risk for him?

He did the same for you, you know. A voice told her, but she knew it wasn't as simple as one for one. Could it be…that she loved him? She scoffed, no way, but she didn't want to reject that idea. She had never know what love felt like, and despite their differences, L was the only one that accepted who she was. It was a ridiculous idea, her loving L, but it made her feel… a little more comfortable.

Anna picked up her phone and dialed L's number, "I accept the condition, I'll find Near if you die." She spoke firmly, "However, if there is the slightest chance, no matter how crazy, how impossible it seems now, I will try. I have heard about the Second Kira's messages, there were something about Shinigami. No matter how insane, if there is the slightest chance, L, I will bring you back from the dead."

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Author's Note: I'm beginning to introduce Anna's feelings for L here :D! and oh, here's a special preview for the next chapter!!

Anna turned around, and was surprised as L wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I just want to know…" he murmured, a touch of confusion in his voice, "What's so different about you."

Light: …I hate you

Hotori: I hate you too

L: I love cake…

Light: I really hate you…

Hotori: What are you gonna do?

Light: I'll write your name in my death note

Hotori: There's a REASON I don't use my real name

Light: I'll figure something out, I mean, I killed that Ray guy and his fiancée didn't I?

L: stares at the cake, totally ignoring the conversation.

Misa: walks by and whips away the strawberry on top

L: NOOOO!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

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Anna sat on the top of a large building, a strong rope connecting her to another building. Soon, she would launch herself off under the cover of darkness, and infiltrate Amane Misa's residence. For now though, she watched the busy traffic, enjoying the night air that caressed her skin, and the thrilling wind that blew her ponytail this way and that. The sharp coldness pierced her skin and into her body, she breathed slowly, letting the cold air circulate through her system, becoming her strength.

"I'm all set, L." Anna whispered into her wireless ear and mouth piece, "Though I have no idea why I have to do this, why don't you just send your men in and let them do the search? Light and Misa shouldn't have anything against it."

"Call me Ryuuzak—"

"I don't like calling you Ryuuzaki." Anna murmured, "L suits you better."

"Don't cut me off when I'm talking." L's voice came from the other side, he was irritated, and of course he would be. He hated it whenever someone cut him off in the middle of a sentence. "And I could, but I wouldn't have any right to go through her personal things, besides, you're a girl."

"I just didn't understand why you gave me such an easy assignment." Anna responded and glanced at her watch, "Five minutes."

L blew air from his mouth and sipped his black tea, "You haven't informed me of your plans. If you simply use that rope to get to the other building, people below might see you."

"I have a plan L- sorry, Ryuuzaki, trust me." Anna breathed, and looked towards the sky. "As I've told you, I'll get in, once I'm in, you can guide me through your infrared radar; however, I get to make decisions as to which route I go by, alright?"

"Crazily I thought I would be in charge." L muttered, "Of course, but please, don't do anything stupid."

Anna smiled, "I never do stupid things." She checked the moon once more, and whispered through the mouth piece, "Look out your window Ryuuzaki, the mission has begun."

L did as he was told; he looked out the window, and saw the moon disappearing, bit by bit. He kept his calm composure on the outside, but inside, he admired Anna's planning. Tonight is the night of the new moon; no one would see her under the cover of darkness. He laughed inwardly to himself, if Anna didn't want to be seen, no one would be able to see her.

"I'm going." Anna whispered the last message into the mouth piece, and used the last bit of light provided by the moon to find her footing on the edge of the roof, then, the moon was swallowed by the darkness, and the only light came from the dim stars in the sky. Anna looked at herself, good, she was invisible.

Without another word, she launched herself into the night air and pulled on the rope to accelerate her speed. As she neared the opposite building, she turned on her side and spun before landing smoothly in a kneeling position on the roof that Amane Misa lived in. There was no noise created by the landing, the spinning before that had created a vacuum of air that sucked all that up. Step one, complete.

(A/N: hey guys, I don't know what kind of house that Amane Misa lives in, but just think of it as jumping from one tall building onto another tall building, okay? Amane Misa is pretty rich…anyway! On with the story!)

Next, Anna went by the only steep trap door that connected to the inside of the building, unexpectedly though, it was locked with a fingerprint scanner. She had planned it to be an ordinary lock, and to pick it was no feat for her, good thing she brought something else, just in case. "Kitten to Raccoon, beyond my expectations, this Amane Misa must have something to hide." Anna whispered to L, "Phase two, asking for permission."

"Granted." L replied, "The priority is to get in and out within said time, leaving no trace that you've ever been there."

"Proceeding." Anna said, and swiftly pulled a black USB key from her neck, there was no USB port; however, the USB had another function. She touched the USB into the security system's shell, the trap door opened. She had a virus in there that disrupted signals; it would go through any kind of matter, leaving no trace that it had even been there. The effect though, only lasted thirty seconds.

Anna dashed through the door and landed silently inside the building, top floor. "I'm in." she informed L, "Turning on the suit's infrared particles release mechanism. I should be on your infrared screen in thirty seconds; I'll be heading to Misa's room now."

"Stop." L's voice commanded; and Anna stopped in her tracks, "Wait until I've received your signal on the screen, or if you encounter someone, I won't know who is you and I won't be able to assist."

Anna started moving again, "Stop worrying about me, I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself." She started moving again, and soon came to a turn. "Kitten to Raccoon, which way?"

"Right is the fastest way, but there are security guards, I suggest straight ahead." L replied. "However, it's a long way around, you'll be wasting time."

"I can take them." Anna whispered, "Switching to silent mode, Raccoon, stand by."

"Wai—" L called out, but received no reply, he watched as the red dot moved up a level. "Impatient as always." He murmured, "But she's smart enough not to encounter them, at least that's good."

Anna crept inside the ceiling, careful not to make a single sound as she crept past the security guards. They were easy enough to by pass; she thought as she dropped down to floor level in the next hallway, she didn't know why L was worried.

"Which way now?" Anna whispered into her ear piece as soon as the guards were out of hearing range.

"I know you said you would be in charge of where you went..." L mumbled, "But further information will not be released until you promise not to do that again."

"I thought you might say that." Anna sighed, and took a left turn. "Good thing I memorized the layout map."

"I'm just trying to take care of my comrades, Anna-san." L replied, forgetting about the code names, "I don't want you to get hurt or blow the mission."

Anna stopped in her steps and frowned, she hissed into the mouth piece, "I think its time I proved to you who I really am, see you later, L." with that, she tore off the earpiece and stuffed it into her pocket, then ran down the hallway, made another left turn and kept going. L really doesn't think I can do this? She thought. Well, I'll show him. I definitely will.

Turning over one last corner, Anna slipped inside Amane Misa's room, and immediately pulled out her USB key, and plugged it into the computer. "Downloading information." She whispered before she could remember that L was no longer there. Then she took out a small packet from her suit, and placed micro-cameras all over the room, before photocopying all documents at her computer and taking them with her. "Let's see you treat me differently, L." she hissed.

"Here's the information you wanted." Anna handed L a stack of papers. "Seriously, I raided everything; I even photocopied her diary for you! The cameras are also in place, and I downloaded everything she has in her computer."

L took the papers in his hand and regarded the girl before him, "Thank you." He murmured, then frowned, his eyes almost glaring at her, "But Anna- san, how do you expect me to trust you if you just take off like that?"

Anna snapped at this comment, "Look L, I'm not here to be your friend; I'm here to be your strong right arm! Not even that, I'm here to be a tool to you, so use me dammit!" she yelled, then lowered herself until her eyes and L's were level, "I admit in the past I've needed your help, but I want to be useful to you. So stop worrying about me and use me!" Tears were starting to burst into her eyes, so she stood up and turned away. "You don't know how hard it is, to be no use to anyone."

"A tool…" L murmured and stood up from his chair, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "Somehow…that's had always been difficult when it comes to you."

Anna turned around, and was surprised as L wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"You're too honest for your own good. It's your own fault you know, you deserved that." She murmured. "And L, why are you…"

"I just want to know…" he murmured, a touch of confusion in his voice, "What's so different about you. Even now, I feel that I'll never be able to wield you like a tool."

Anna released him and backed away, "Sorry. It's just…a strange feeling, risking your life for someone you barely know." She sat in a chair, and L followed, crouching in his usual position. "I mean, do you even remember when we met?"

"You underestimate me; I put my life on the line for you, more than once too. I don't forget things like that." L smiled, "The first time was at the orphanage, when I told you that I alone thought you were normal. I couldn't stop thinking about why you were here, and why you weren't normal, so I did a little investigation. The second time we met…"

_Flashback_

I went through his information again, just to be sure, as usual, I was right. They are using her for human experiments. The girl I met the other day, Anna, capabilities that have never been obtained by humans like her, being so close to Watari's orphanage yet not a detective, a man he had never seen taking her, it all adds up. But before I report to Watari, I want to have a word with her, and why she's going along with it.

It was a rainy night, but I wanted to finish this as soon as possible, after all, no one knows what can happen within the span of one day. I followed the clues I had figured out, and sure enough, I was at the right place, but this was not the scene I had wanted to witness.

She sat beside the wall in the rain, sobbing to herself, and occasionally murmuring things that I couldn't hear. Her black hair clung to her face, hiding her eyes. I didn't go out just then, I wanted to make sure no one was around, or we're both busted. But just as I was about to talk to her, a door opened, and I stayed still.

"Get up." The man said, and roughly pulled her to her feet.

"I don't want to do this anymore…I don't want to take any more tests." She sobbed, "Let me go."

"Don't be stupid." He jerked her arm, and her face twisted in pain. "You belong to us now, you always have, there is no other future for you, you will live in this place for your entire life, and this will also become your grave." The man smirked and slid a finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his, "If you try to leave, we'll kill you."

She pulled her head away and let it hang, "I knew it…it was a lie, it was all a lie."

"What?" the man looked puzzled for one second, then understood, "Oh, finding your parents, of course it was. Do you honestly think we would waste time on such a thing? We don't want to do this to you either, but we have to make the machines better and better, and you're the only one capable of testing them out. Watari wouldn't accept old machines you know, and there's so much money, you'll just have to endure it. After all, you are a little freak."

"Stop it." She said, a touch of fierceness in her commanding tone.

He looked puzzled for a while, then lifted her frail body off the ground and threw her against the wall. "When did you learn to talk to me like that huh?" he picked her up and threw her again, "You might be strong, but we gave you enough drugs to keep those abilities of yours in check, don't forget. You're not in any position to threaten anybody, got it?"

To my surprise, she stood up, dashed behind him, and pinned him to the ground. "I thought I told you to STOP TALKING!" she yelled, "I'm not a freak, I'm normal! He told me so, if he can accept me, why can't all of you!?"

My heart pounded in my chest. She was talking about me.

At the sound of her voice more men came from the building, and dragged her off him. One man took out a needle, and jammed the tip into her arm. She screamed, but soon, her strength disappeared and she slumped onto the ground, conscious, but powerless. Pulling out my phone, I called Watari, and then walked out from my hiding place.

"Let her go."

The men were surprised to see me, and they obeyed instantly. Now I understood, the training exercises that the kids in the orphanage sometimes go through, the machines that made us better and better…they were established by her, the machines always stood one step ahead of us because of her. Her suffering is what had made us strong. My thoughts were broken by a poke in the back, and I was surprised to see one of them pointing a gun at me.

"We didn't do anything, the girl got out of control right?" He told the others, and smirked at me, ready to pull the trigger.

"Kill him, and I will kill you." A voice answered from behind the man, and the girl stepped out just enough for me to see, she had a dagger over his chest. She had taken the chance when everyone was looking at me to get there, even after being drugged. She looked at me, "One for one."

Watari arrived, and the men who had been using her for tests and experiments were taken away. Anna was taken to another country, and she was never to tell anyone about her experiences here.

"Good work, Ryuuzaki." Watari said to me. "But I'm sorry; you probably won't meet her again."

_End Flashback_

"It's good to know that you remember." Anna smiled, "I'll leave you to dig through the information now, and I will be too."

"Also, I want you to attend Light's college and get close to him, as close as you can. Have him love you, do whatever. Just get me any piece of evidence." L stated, and emptied his coffee, which was ignored during the conversation.

Anna looked back, "I thought that would be a little too risky don't you?"

L spun in his chair and turned his back to her, "…I believe in you, but still, be careful."

Anna walked up behind him and thanked him with a hug. "You be careful, I don't know what I would do if you died." She whispered in his ear.

* * *

Author's note: okay, so i introduced it a bit more...i'm adding more stuff in chapter 5 to possible 7 so bear with me if i'm slow on the updates. Currently kinda using ideas from my reviewers. I wouldn't copy them completely or it'll be plagiarism...or so i think.

Additional notes to Chibilover and Akizichi

To Chibilover: Thanks for defending me in your review, no one's ever done that before. I'm so touched, thank you so much!

And to Akizichi, thanks for the suggestions, but please don't be insulted if i don't use all of them. Chibilover has a point, it IS my story...

* * *

Light: I am invisible…I am non-existent

Hotori: Oh shut up, I'll put you in the next chapter ok?

L: Misa took my strawberry!! Waaaa

Hotori: Awww you're so cute!! Hugs L

L: I feel so loved

Light: I feel so unloved…x.x

Hotori: You are unloved, go away

L: Heehee

Hotori: Yes Light…just stay in that corner and die…

Light: I really will

L: ok, go die

Hotori: non of us care

Light: xx


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

Anna stepped curtly into the classroom, wearing her usual grey top, black jacket, and black jeans. It was typical stuff, not at all suspicious, even to a genius like Light. "Good morning." She addressed the class with a smile and a gracious nod. "I'm Anna McLeod, a transfer student from the United States." She lied swiftly; it was easy to fake accents and such, after years of study, she's able to fluently speak 9 languages, translate 4 dead languages, and had a good knowledge of 11 more. It would be suspicious if she said she was from Britain, same country as L, not that it would prove anything. But just to be on the safe side. 

"I enjoy athletics, and I especially like tennis." Anna went on with her speech, occasionally letting her gaze rest upon different people. "I hope to have a good time here with you all, thank you."

"Thank you very much Anna." The professor smiled, "Yagami Light is our best student in the school." He explained, and then addressed Light, "Would you be responsible for showing our new student around the school, Light?"

Light looked up and studied the new girl with a bored expression on his face. She was pretty, even prettier than Misa, though in a different way. Why not? Take some time off from Kira duty. "Sure." He replied, "It's nice to meet you, my name is Yagami Light."

"You may take whichever seat you please, Miss McLeod." The professor smiled. Many guys with empty seats beside them were already looking hopeful, for Anna was, not your average girl. Her amber gaze has already seduced most of the guys in the classroom, and her figure was only the best of the best.

Light wasn't surprised when Anna picked the empty seat next to him. He was, after all, supposed to show her around. He was also the best student, the best looking guy, and probably the only one who didn't want to rape her or something to the kind. He wasn't particularly attracted to Anna anyway, though she was pretty hot. Misa would have a fit if she found out about this, and probably kill Anna, which would cause problems and arouse Ryuzaki's suspicion and more complicated stuff like that.

"Again, it's a pleasure to meet you Light san." Anna whispered with formality, her breath falling gently upon the nape of his neck and making him shudder. "Thanks for your offer to show me around."

Light smiled back with equal warmth, "Of course." He said with fake sincerity, "I do hope you enjoy your stay here with us."

Anna nodded, disgusted by his fake welcome. She could see right through his mask of charm, and was horrified by the monster within. L set me up with this monster? She thought, but another, more welcome thought crept into her mind. Ah well, so long as I have the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of victory, what else matters?

Class went by quickly, and Light was surprised by Anna's intelligence that seemed to almost equal his own. The girl was smart, maybe he can use her. Anna seemed equally astonished by his confidence and intellect, and she made now show to hide it, even challenging to defeat him on the next test.

Physical Education was another course that they both took, and even Light had to work hard to hide his shocked emotions. The girl could run, jump, and was number one in basically every type of physical activity, even the 1500 meter run had taken her little less than five minutes to complete. When class ended, Anna took up her towel and walked towards Light.

"You were great out there." Light complimented with a warm smile, "Looks like most of the guys in this class will be following you around for the rest of the year."

"Does that include you?" Anna teased with a charming smile, and they walked together towards their next class.

"Oh you would have to impress me more that that." Light replied with an equally enchanting tone. "I'm not easy to please you know."

"Playing hard to get?" Anna laughed gently and swished her hair, drawing the attention of the entire male population on campus, "That was but a small demonstration of what I could do." She smiled confidently, "I hear you're real good at tennis Light." She teased, all formalities gone, "I bet I can beat you, what do you think?"

Light closed his eyes and gave a gentle laugh, "You remind me of a friend of mine." He said, captivating yet cautious, "Ryuuga Hideki was also very talented at tennis, and I do admit that it's a delightful way to get to know each other."

"I've heard about him and your famous tennis match." Anna agreed as they walked towards the tennis courts, "It's actually a quite popular story around campus." Anna picked up a racket and handed it to Light before picking up one for herself, "I have next block free." She grinned, "You game or what?"

Light took the racket and spread his arms, "Wouldn't have it any other way." He replied with a grin.

Anna served first, sending the ball fast towards Light, who returned it easily. Anna swung again, harder this time, and with more ferocity. Again, the school genius returned it, but with a slight frown which Anna caught even from the other side of the tennis court. Yagami Light was being pressured; he had only barely gotten the ball over. Anna ran up front and slammed the racket into the ball.

"15 love." She smiled deviously at Light.

There was no point in pushing the match even further, Light was panting, and Anna wasn't even playing at her true potential. There's no point in giving all that I got, Anna thought quietly. It's been proven that my athletic abilities are impossible to achieve by normal humans. Besides, if I win, Light will see me as a challenge and a threat, as opposed to someone he can trust and manipulate easily. I wanted Light's guard to be lowered, not raised. Winning was out of the question.

Even so, Yagami Light, you're not getting out of this that easily. Anna smiled, and strengthened her pace. Easily, Anna took the first game. She did manage to make herself look tired though, taking it easy and not being out of breath will just tell Light that he's nothing compared to her, which was bad. So she panted a little, and tried to make herself look a lot more tired that Light was.

"Good playing." Light smiled and shook her hand, "First one who takes six games wins?"

Anna nodded, seemingly too out of breath to speak. The raising her eyes, she met Light's and gave a polite reply. "Of course, you played well, I haven't been this challenged in years." She lied smoothly, "I can see why Light kun is so worshipped at this school."

She's good. Light thought, possibly even equal to Ryuzaki, and she does seem tired and out of breath… Light frowned, no, there's something more to it. She's not playing at her true potential, not at all. She's trying to fool me into believing so, but why would she do that? I guess she's more than she appears to be…could she be working with Ryuuzaki? I would have to keep a closer eye if I want to find out the truth. Light closed and ran a hand through his brown hair and breathed out. No matter, a tennis match is a tennis match, he would be cautious later. For now, all he can do is play the best he can.

A crowd was already gathering. There was a referee and everything, just like the game with Ryuzaki. Light frowned. The girl was smart, but not as smart as him, that much was for sure. And physically, she's unbelievable so far, if he plays his cards right…this girl can be more useful than Misa…if she's not working for Ryuuzaki.

"Let's go Light!" Anna called; snapping Light out of his thoughts and making him realize that he's been standing there in a daze. Inclining his head ever so slightly in apology, Light threw up the tennis ball.

Smack

Anna returned it, though Light felt that the fierceness behind the stroke was declining. She's slowing her pace, Light thought, and slowed his own pace. However, he was proved wrong as the second swing whizzed past his ear, leaving him standing in shock.

"Don't go easy on me Light!" Anna called, "You'll regret it!"

Of course, Light scolded himself. Always take your opponent seriously, whether it's the world's most famous detective, or your regular classmate. He prepared himself, and this time returned the ball with all the energy he's got.

That's it Light…Anna thought, don't make this too easy for me.

Light continued play, and made no attempt to read anything from Anna other that how she was about to play the game. He saw no need in the matter. Anna was not Ryuzaki; she was a classmate, a worthy opponent, but still just a classmate…until he proved it otherwise.

Not good…Anna thought, not good at all. He suspects me; he knows I'm not playing at my true potential. I'll have to win. That would give him at least an excuse to be cautious around me. He knows now that he can't hope to compete with me physically. If I win this match, it might even prove to him that I might be Kira, he can use that against me, and L. If he takes me to HQ, my cover would be blown to pieces…must try harder…

000000000000000

Anna…you had better be okay…L thought. He had told Light that for the moment, he's to continue his regular classes, as not to arouse suspicion, and also to look for the possibility of Kira since the idea that he's a student is not completely garbage, and heck it's not his fault Light's school happens to have that particular schedule.

"67 criminals killed today, Ryuzaki." Chief Yagami stepped into the room, "Kira's gaining supporters too, there have been many stories on the internet and newspaper talking about supporting Kira and opposing L."

L tapped the table beside him, and the policeman placed the papers there with a sigh. "Thank you." L replied politely, still gazing intently at the screen as he scrolled through the information. "I'd like some time alone now to think, if you please."

"Of course, Ryuzaki, I'll tell Matsuda and the others not to enter without permission." Soichiro Yagami inclined his head, and left by the door.

L took the papers and scanned through them, frowning at the bad news. I've got to concentrate on the case…Things are getting worse. He thought, Anna better have some good news for me. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, but I can't count on her for everything. I have to concentrate on the case. L closed his eyes and sipped his coffee, and instantly, an all too familiar face float behind his eyelids, just as they have been for the past few days.

L closed his eyes hard and grasped his head in his hands. "Anna…stop distracting me!!"

00000000000000

"Game set match! Won by Anna! 6 games to 4!"

"Good game Light." Anna grabbed her towel and shook Light's hand, "You're good, and it seems I would have to work harder if I want to stay ahead of you."

Light smiled as he shook Anna's hand, "I would definitely need to improve if I even hope to be somewhat of a challenge." He replied, covering deception in his voice with respect and admiration. "You were quite a challenge, more than Ryuga I would have to say."

Anna smiled and they walked off the tennis court together, "Why thank you." She accepted the praise and looked into his eyes. Light still suspect her a bit. Just then, Light's phone rang.

"Ryuuzaki." Light responded, and Anna's heart jerked. L was calling him. Light walked a few steps off, and Anna waited for him, finally, Light nodded, and walked back to Anna. "I have to go; there are things that I have to do, sorry."

"During school?" Anna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hard to explain." Light answered, planning rapidly in his head. First I'll get her interested. He thought, and then I'll get her on Kira side…

"I'll excuse your absence to the professor then." Anna nodded, "See you tomorrow, Light."

Light smiled with gratitude, "Thanks, bye."

Anna watched Light with a frown as he walked away from the school. It was her first time on a mission to seduce someone, and though she was excited at first, Light's attitude disgusted her. It's hard, to appear to love someone, while you hate their guts on the inside. You owe me L; you owe me big time for this…

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reivews guys, but please don't be mean to Akizichi. Who WILL stop trying to guess every reviewer's identity. :D things are getting interesting, and Akizichi, you'll probably be happy at this insane mission. Thanks for all the motivation, this story will not be possible without you. 

Okay it would, but it wouldn't be as good :P

All my thanks

-Hotori

Light: FINALLY!! BE PREPARED EVERYONE!! AS YOUR GOD ENTERS!!!!

L: God?

Hotori: Light…you just gave away the WHOLE THING.

L: You're Kira.

Light: Took you long enough to figure it out Lawliet.

L: O.o Hey!!!

Light: Muhaha…now your name shall go in my Death Note!!!

L: (insert swear word of choice here)!!! Gimme that notebook you-! Tackles Light to the ground

Hotori: Hey, hey! Break it up!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not owning Death Note...only a crazy dream...

* * *

Light stepped into the investigation headquarters, his eyes sharp, his mind planning like usual. "Hey, Ryuuzaki." He called, being the first to arrive.

"Light- kun." L replied, and licked some icing off of his fingers. From the information the Anna had brought him, he had found quite some interesting information. Amane Misa went on many sites that mentioned Kira, but of course, that doesn't prove anything. There were quite many clues to who Kira is, certain keywords like "write his name"and"the note" especially sparked his interest. L decided to give Light a little test.

"Light- kun, lately I've been trying to develop a theory on how Kira kills, to be able to precisely control the time, place, actions and all the other details of the death." L stated, "What do you think?" L's eyes narrowed, if Light says something that significantly differs from what I've got, then…

Light frowned on the inside, but kept his composure. There he goes, testing me again, he thought. He must've gotten something on the Death Note. If I try to throw him off, it'll just prove I'm Kira, I've got to say something closer to the truth, but not too close, or it'll prove that I know something, also raising the suspicion that I am Kira. You got me, L.

"It's true that finding the way the Kira kills might be the only evidence against him, but we don't have many clues as to what that is yet. Kira might be able to kill with only his mind, but then he might accidentally think of something and kill the wrong person, and because no innocent civilian was harmed, we can probably rule that out." Light explained, "I'm thinking that Kira kills using a method where he has a little more control over."

"I was thinking the same thing." L replied dryly, "Light- kun is amazing indeed, please look further into the matter with me afterwards."

Light nodded, in this situation, the best is to tell L about the Death Note before he figures it out himself, then tell Rem to kill him. That way, it'll lessen the suspicion on me, and no one but L, who will be dead, can figure out that I am Kira. Light thought, Misa's note will have to stay with me, or Rem might kill me if she gets arrested. I'll have to give up my own note, and destroy it before fingerprints and other things are analyzed.

L sat facing the computer; he wouldn't give Light the information just yet. However, as it stands, Kira probably kills by writing, but if the theory of Kira being a student is correct, then he'll probably have to use a special way of writing to kill, or many people would've died. A special way to write...

He thought about it again, it's just a theory after all, there's not much to it. Kira might be killing using a completely different way. Well, he'll see what Light can come up with. If he can come up with the fact that Kira can kill with writing without seeing the information that Anna provides, then it means that he knows something.

Is it Anna? Is she working for Ryuuzaki? Light sat down at the computer. No, it's too early to suspect her just yet. I must know where L got the information and how. If not, it'll be suspicious that I know so much…

Anna collected her bag quickly and dashed down the street. It was time to follow Misa back to her place. To be blunt, Amane Misa is an easy one to follow, she thought as she walked behind her, taking care to change her pace, closing in and letting her go, as to not arouse suspicion. But as Misa walked innocently into her home once again, Anna leaned against the wall and sighed.

It's been a week, today's already Saturday, and this was getting no where.

Amane Misa was in no way suspicious, at all. She's just a normal popular model that happened to have Yagami Light, for a boyfriend. And Light just happen to be suspected by L. Coincidence? It very well could be. Anna shook her head, this is not exciting at all, she's going to get some lunch.

Anna sighed and looked up at the blue sky; at least things are going better with Light. He was definitely interested, probably in using her, but that suited her just as well. At the moment, Light probably wants to be sure that I'm working for L and then use me to get information from him. He'll have to make sure I'm on his side though, and then he'll have to give me some kind of evidence.

"Hey, Anna."

Anna turned, "speak of the devil." She whispered under breath, and then called out casually, "Hey, Light."

"Where are you going?" Light asked.

"Lunch." Anna smiled, then despite all her instincts that told her other wise, she breathed out two words. "Join me?"

"Are you paying?" Light teased, then after Anna's reassuring stare that she would be paying, gently slid his hand into hers as they walked down the street.

So he's making his move, trying to get my complete loyalty…Anna thought, well alright, makes my job just that much easier. There were some feelings of satisfaction at Light's friendly gesture, but it still bothered Anna, and she wondered for the first time, how long is she willing to go for the mission?

Possibly sensing her unease, Light let go of her hand. "Sorry." He murmured a quick apology, and gave a coy smile.

"It's not that." Anna lied and took up his hand again, "I promised my parents back in the U.S that I wouldn't let some Japanese pretty boy get a hold of me and take me away from my studies. It's getting harder and harder to keep that promise though." She smiled, and Light caught the generous hint.

"Well not to make it even harder on you, but this Friday is the big school dance." Light suggested, "Why don't you take a break and have fun once in a while?"

Anna gave Light's hand a gentle squeeze, "Are you asking me out?" she questioned in a teasing tone.

Light laughed gently, "No, I'm asking you to a dance." He replied with equal playfulness sparkling in his eyes.

"Well I'd love to go." Anna answered, "With you." She added after a bit of consideration.

"Sorry, but you're still paying for lunch." Light teased, and they continued down the street; until Anna pointed out a small traditional Japanese restaurant, and they settled down to have their lunch.

Perfect…this way, I can determine if she's ever seen Ryuuzaki before, I should be able to read first hand by the way they act, or, at least the way Anna acts, she's not that hard to read, she seems pretty open anyways. Either that or she's the best actor I've ever met. I can use Anna, I'm sure of it. I will die if Misa gets killed, Rem will make sure of that. But Anna…she's got no Shinigami on her side. And since her intelligence is so close to mine, it would be easy to transfer the blame, and let her die to atone for Kira's justice, if need be.

They finished their meal together, conversing lightly throughout. Anna had picked up some hints towards the Kira case, but whenever she pursued, the conversation was redirected to another topic. Anna backed off and stopped asking questions. Perhaps Light will be more talkative after the dance, after she takes things further.

"Thanks for walking me home Light." Anna smiled as she opened the door to her apartment and stepped in, saying her goodbyes to Light.

"Not at all," Light replied charmingly, "Thank you for the meal." Light took her hand, "And most of all, thanks for attending the dance with me." Light gently leaned forward, and suddenly, Anna's body tensed.

Sensing her discomfort, and hesitation, Light gave a light laugh, and gently kissed her on the cheek. "Good bye Anna, have a good weekend."

Anna quickly controlled herself, but could only give one last smile. "You too Light." She whispered, and watched Light walk away. She walked into her room and tossed a pillow in the air before showering it in a rain of vicious punches and kicks. Then going through another door to the washroom, she took out some soap and furiously scrubbed her cheek

Damn it…Light just scarred me for life.

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Do not expect next chapter so soon as i am having...difficulties...er in writing...ok anyway...please review!

To Akizichi: soooo...you seem to be really into writing romance stuff...lol. Any chance you're gonna help? Contact me please

Light: ...what do you mean i...you know what? I'm insulted

Hotori: I cared...when?

L: WAHAHAHA!!! Light's insulted...

Light: rawr...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or a certain scene below...Akizichi and Annie helped me write it...

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Anna flicked open her cell phone at the sound of the ring tone. "This had better not be Light." She whispered under her breath, and was pretty relieved to find L on the other side of the line.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Anna spoke into the cell phone, though her eyes were still scanning the pages for any traces of useful information.

"I'm content with what I have." L confirmed while taking a sip, "But I need to see you soon. It's difficult for us to maintain any sort of contact, and I can't keep calling off meetings for your reports." L paused and resumed hesitantly, "So I think it's time you introduced yourself to the investigating team…"

Anna lightly tossed the stack of paper back on the desk and bit her lower lip, "Somehow, when you say this, I don't think you didn't mean to introduce me as Anna."

"Quite right," L responded from the other side, "I need you to introduce yourself as someone else. A thief, to be precise, that can bypass any security. You will be British, with shoulder length blonde hair. Your name will be Wedy. You may wear colored contacts if you wish, but I'd prefer it if you cover your eyes with sunglasses, a skin mask is necessary for you to completely change your appearance." L finished, "Could you do that, Anna?"

"Of course. And when do I have to be ready for?" Anna asked, lightly drumming her finger on the desktop.

"I'm introducing you as a thief with another, a con artist named Aiber, tonight."

"Aiber? I've heard of him." Anna replied with praise in her voice, "A very good choice indeed, you have a lot of control over him too, right? With all that evidence I led to your fingertips, you're bound to have grasped some of them. And yes, I'll be there."

"As a caution to you, Light will also be there." L murmured, and raised a thumb to his lips, "Be sure to change your voice so he can't figure out who you are."

Anna grinned lightly, "Rest assured L, I may be acting a thief, but I'm no less a con artist than that Aiber you're introducing along with me."

"Good, I'll see you tonight then." L fingered the hang-up button.

"Wait!" Anna called out before she could stop herself.

"What is it?" L pondered.

"School dance on Friday, are you coming?" Anna asked casually. She wanted L to be there, it'll be interesting to watch how Light behaves with both of them around. It would be kind of risky, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, he'll be useful in observing Light.

L frowned and heaved a sigh, "Dance?"

"You've always been better at reading people than me L, don't deny it." Anna said, looking for advantages on this mission, "I want you to observe how Light is behaving, and I'm guessing that he also wants you to go so he can find out if I have any connections to you. Besides, you're still in the college, even though you miss so much school it's not funny anymore, it's a big dance, you have to attend!"

"I'll see if Light asks which, according to you, he probably will. Yes, I'll go." L sighed and loosened his frown a bit, finally gave in to the request.

"One more thing," Anna drew up her courage.

"Hn?"

Taking a deep breath, Anna focused her mind on telling L the discomfort she had with the mission. But due to faltering courage, she let out a sigh: "Never mind, I'll tell you tonight."

"Hmm, if that's what you want." L's hoarse voice had a hint of teasing embedded into it. "See you tonight." He repeated, and the line went dead.

Anna flipped the phone closed and slammed onto her bed. The conflicted feelings for the mission and L were washing over her. It was a pretty weird feeling, and she knew exactly what she had to do. Without another word, Anna jumped up and opened the cupboard. Feelings come later. She had another persona to prepare for tonight.

"I'm Aiber," The British man next to Anna introduced himself with a wry smile. "It's pleasure to finally work with you, detective L."

"Wedy," Anna stepped forward, remembering to add a hint of British accent as she spoke, "I'm a thief."

L nodded at their introductions, his sight lingering on Anna's unrecognizable face for a second longer before he moved on the police investigation team. "This is Aiber." He introduced, "He's a con artist. We'll use him to get close to the police and investigate their family members."

The members of the task force all appeared to be shocked. Anna looked at Light through her sunglasses. He for one, held a calm posture, completely accepting the fact that he'll be working with criminals without difficulty. Light didn't recognize her though, and Anna laughed inwardly to herself as she savored her moment of victory.

L moved on to introduce her next, "This is Wedy, she can break through any kind of security systems, proof being she got in here without us noticing, we use her to investigate."

"Ryuuzaki…does this mean we'll working with criminals?" Soichiro Yagami asked, "I mean…"

L's bored expression remained unchanged as he calmly answered, "I prefer to refer to them as…masters of the underworld. And yes, we will be working with them. Any more questions?"

The task force remained silent, and L went on with his speech. "Good, from now on, Aiber and Wedy will also be your direct superiors. They have more experience that you imagine with dealing with criminals like Kira. If they give an order, I expect you to obey. No offence, but they can understand a situation better than everyone of us here, with the exception of myself and Light kun, of course."

"Yes, but are they trustworthy?" Light asked, putting on an innocent face.

"Of course, like all of you should, I'd trust them with my life." L answered, "And to banish all your doubts, this I will say. I have enough evidence on both of them for a life behind bars. They've got no choice really." Pausing for a second, L spoke again, "Earlier on I asked all of you if you have any guess on how Kira kills criminals, Light-kun. Do you have any reply?"

"Ryuuzaki, this is another one of your questions to get me to spill that I'm Kira." Light sighed in frustration, "How many times must I tell you I'm not?"

"Is that the reason why you don't have an answer, or are you just not as smart as everyone think you are?" Anna snapped in L's defense. Her accent kept itself up in habit, much to Anna's relief, for if she had dropped her disguise…

"Enough, Wedy." L stood calmly, his eyes were icy and emotionless as he glanced at Light, "I have told you Light kun, if you are not Kira, it would show in time. As it is, I still suspect you, and I expect you to work with me until I decide if you are or are not Kira. I will ask one more time. Do you have a reply to my question?"

Light glared back with equal fierceness, "As it stands, there are many possibilities as to how Kira kills. However, I have determined, throughout the evidence we collected, that it's a type of supernatural killing that involves knowing the victim's name and face. In theory, it is also very unlikely that the murders are controlled by thought, as they have been precisely targeted to criminals and no civilians have been killed. I presume it to be something that Kira would have lots of control over, such as speaking, writing, drawing etc. Special instruments might also be used for these murders to occur."

"Thank you Light kun, please continue looking into these matters." L withdrew his glare and settled back into his seat. "Aizawa san, I expect you to continue studying the patterns of the killings. Mogi and chief Yagami will investigate the connections the murders have with society. Matsuda…Please don't get into trouble and stay as Misa's director, questions?"

"Yes." Light stepped forward, "The professors asked me to give you a message, Ryuuzaki, should I say it here?"

"Go ahead, Light kun." L said, and sipped his coffee.

"Friday is the school dance, one that every student must attend. You have been skipping a lot, so they say that if you don't attend, you'll be expelled." Pausing for a second, as L nodded, Light had a little grin playing on his lips, "So if you're planning to keep up your disguise as a student attending my college, I suggest you go."

"I'll go." L answered curtly, "Anything I need to know?"

"It's a costume dance, as usual, this year the theme is someone famous in history." Light explained, "That's about all there is to it."

"Thank you. Now if everyone knows what they're doing, you can all go home."

The members of the task force left silently, and Anna glanced at Aiber as he walked away from the position beside her. Light followed shortly afterwards, and she studied him through her sunglasses' lenses. He still didn't suspect anything after all, though he did give her a warning stare for her earlier behavior.

After everyone else left, Anna walked over and shut the door. Pulling out her cell phone, she clicked a button, and checked the hallways with her hidden cameras. Good, everyone had gone home as instructed, Light didn't stay after all.

"They're gone." Anna informed L.

L turned around in his chair, "I thought I told you not to put cameras in this place." He looked at her blankly, "And while I'm at it, you bugged this place too didn't you?"

Anna nodded, "Yeah, but when have I ever listened to you?"

That brought a smile to L's lips, "True."

"So, you said you had something to tell me." L stated, facing the monitor as he spoke "What is it?"

Anna took a deep breath, "This mission is going farther than I intended to go, and I'm not sure I want to continue it." She said, taking off her hat and sunglasses before pulling off the mask that identified her as Wedy. It was good to breath fresh air again, and she had a feeling that she'll need it.

"Hmm." L replied, then turned from the monitor to face Anna. His eyes widened a bit in surprise as he studied her face, "You face is a bit red."

Anna nodded and touched her face, "That's exactly what I'm talking about, Light kissed me, and I've been rubbing it off with soap all afternoon." She sighed, then crossed her arms in front of her and leaned against the wall as she pouted.

That got a slight laugh out of L, who turned a bit to hide it. Then he stood up, "It's come to my attention that is not the first time you're on a mission like this." He turned serious again, "During your assassinations more than fifteen people fell prey to you that way, what's so difference this time?"

"Well those times I killed them all as soon as they trusted me enough to be anywhere alone with me." Anna replied, "And if you've bothered to notice Yagami Light is not very trusting. It's going to take more than it did before to convince him."

L sighed and shook his head, "Anna, listen—"

"No L, you listen." Anna snapped, "Surprising as it maybe, I haven't kissed anyone before, and I refuse to have Light steal my first kiss regardless of the situation…"

L seemed to listen quietly as Anna rambled on and on. He was pretty sure that he had the situation all figured out. It's not that Anna didn't want to continue the mission; it's just the fact that she didn't want Light to kiss her, particularly as she put it, steal her first kiss. Second and third don't matter, right? Right, he had the situation completely under control. Now though, should he wait for her to finish rambling or…nah, she cut him off in the middle of a sentence, he has a right to do the same.

Thinking that way, L slowly stepped forward. Anna was still talking, faster and faster in fact, as a crimson blush crept up from the bottom of her neck. Anna was panicking. The words tumbled from her mouth faster and faster with out the restrictions of reasoning. She felt the heat climb onto her face as random thoughts flashed through her head. 'Whoa! What's he doing? Is he trying to ... no... he cant be.' she thought, and for the first time realized she was trapped between him and the wall. Random words still sputtered from her mouth, though she found that her voice grew smaller and smaller, until…

L continued stepping forward, ignoring the action. "Anna." L said, and Anna immediately stopped talking, "Let's solve that problem you've got." He continued, and moved his hand towards her face.

"Whoa, whoa, L, wait." Anna blinked and pressed her hands against the wall behind her. He's got her cornered.

L tipped his head to one side openly, "Why, do you mind?"

Anna's every nerve and instinct screamed at her to say yes, but when she finally managed to force out a word, the wrong one came out. "No." Anna squeaked.

"Good." L walked two steps forward, now their noses were inches apart.

He gently lifted Anna's arm and held it above her head, and without the slightest warning or signal, he gingerly locked his pale lips with hers.

Without thinking how far he would go, L stepped closer, hoping that Anna would not find this offensive of him. But as he felt her relax, he gradually, wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly sliding her closer to him as he deepened the kiss. The shields around his heart were broken, for the first time ever; L's emotions were there for everyone to read.

Anna laid her hands around the smooth porcelain of L's neck, brushing away a few stray strands of hair from his face. To her surprise, she didn't find L's actions uncomfortable; it was almost like she was waiting for this. Smiling, she tightened her grip around his neck, and L leaned closer, until she can feel his faint warmth upon her cheek.

Gaining his confidence, L responded more boldly by gently pulling her and lessened the space between them as much as possible. He felt the warmth of Anna's body temperature crashing against his, and he enjoyed every moment…at least until…

Beeeeeeeeep.

The sound came, right on time from L's computer.

Letting out a small and undetectable sigh, L pulled away from Anna and sat down by the computer. "Yes, Watari." he asked, the tiniest hint of annoyance embedded into his voice.

"Sorry to interrupt the moment, Ryuuzaki." Watari said with a slight cough, "But may I suggest that you stay on the task at hand, that is, the Kira case?"

L frowned, "What are you talking about?" he muttered, "I was 100 percent business."

"Taking into account the fact that you were..."

"Taking into account the fact that I was kissing Anna, yes." L explained, "You see-"

"Excuse me?" Anna interrupted, crossing her hands in front of her chest, "Can we please stop talking about this as if I'm not here?"

"Sorry." L and Watari replied in unison.

Anna nodded, "Thank you." then turning her attention to Watari, she asked briskly, "Now, is there a reason for calling us at this particular moment or are you the only one with special permission from L to watch us with your camera at all times?"

"Yes well, I have been informed of some movement considering Mello and Near." Watari answered adeptly. Anna immediately caught the hint, as did L.

"Anna, you may leave now." L started.

"Of course." she answered with a curt nod to L and Watari's camera, before silently slipping out of the room.

L's gaze lingered on the door for a moment, his brow creasing into a frown before he turned his attention back to Watari. "So, what about Mello and Near?"

"Before that, might I ask you some questions regarding your earlier actions?" Watari asked, "I didn't think you brought Anna here to..."

L raised a hand, and Watari immediately stopped, "I don't think I'll tell you here, Watari." he sighed, "Anna may be gone, but you aren't the only one with cameras and bugs in this place."

"Right." Watari agreed, then began his explanation, "I would like you to know that Near is requesting permission from Britain to also work on the Kira case, he will share what information he's gathered with you and try to help in any way he can. He's already talked to the FBI and CIA. They will begin the case when you give your permission. Near tells me that Mello is also going after Kira, though he will probably being moving on his own."

"As expected of Mello." L sighed, "Tell Near I'm fine with it as long as he doesn't conflict with what I'm doing, as for Mello, well, not much I can say. I'll advise him to be careful, and tell him try to not let his rivalry with Near get in the way." L paused for a moment before he continued, "I'm sure he respects me enough to listen."

"I'll be transferring your response to Near and Mello." Watari answered, and the communication was cut.

L thought deeply for a moment, maybe it was time to move Anna to Britain...she would be an ideal connection between him and Near.

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Author's note: I guess sense not everyone checks my profile, i'll just say it here. I have pictures for Anna and L that i've drawn, if you want them, ask me and give me your email. This is confidential.

Heh...Akizichi and Annie helped me write the umm...romance scene, thanks to them both. Though i had to change it a bit due to Akizichi's...over ethusiasm about it i guess. Sorry about that.

Please review, don't just add it to favorites and alert...actually review!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

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Anna left the building silently, uncontrolled thoughts racing through her head. She had been able to maintain her cool while in Watari's presence, but now her heart was all a jumble, as messed up as can be. 'L kissed me.' She thought, as if not believing the fact. She believed it quite thoroughly, after all, she can still feel his lingering taste on her lips.

Anna was still quite confused as she opened the door to her room and slumped on the bed. Her resolution wasn't what it seemed. She expected that after she told L about it, maybe she would feel better. She didn't expect to be kissed. "What am I worrying about anyway?" Anna shook her head, it's not like it meant anything at all. Like he said, he just wanted me to continue on my mission; therefore my problem had to be solved. Everything with him was always business. It always was, and that's how it will be forever more. Anna tugged at her hair, I'm such a mess…I said all I ever wanted was to be useful…now look at me…I'm pathetic.

Hoping that L was finished with his conversation, Anna took her phone. It rang once, and then L's familiar voice responded from the other side.

"Unusual for you to contact me so soon," L spoke first, puzzlement tracing through his voice, "I should've expected it, given the circumstances at hand…"

"I'm sorry." Anna cut him off silently.

Even more confused now, L asked, "For what?"

"I said I wanted to be your pawn…that was all I asked for." Anna continued in a coarse voice, "I'm sorry to have put myself before the mission you have assigned me."

"Is that so?" L replied, and Anna tensed at his reply. "Good, feel free to do it again."

"Excuse me?" Anna stuttered.

"That's not what I meant." L replied quickly, a hind of frustration creeping through his tone. "I mean… just be yourself. If you've got a problem with the way I do things, bring it up and don't do it until you feel comfortable with it. Though I don't think I'll kiss you again just because you have some problem with Light."

Anna laughed slightly, feeling slightly better, "Thanks."

"Hn." L nodded, "I actually like your fiery personality as opposed to a pawn. I want you to make your own decisions; you don't always have to follow the rules." L paused for a second, "However, don't take it personal, Anna. I didn't kiss you because I like you or anything like that, I don't have time for a relationship. I just wanted you to feel comfortable with the mission, and because you cut me off in the middle of my sentence."

"I know." Anna replied, her tone serious, "Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything. I'll continue my current relationship and investigation on Light."

"I'm glad things are back to normal then." L replied, his voice impassive, "Just remember, yourself comes first."

"Okay."

"One more thing; and this is a warning." L said, his tone changing, "Once you do decide to take on a mission, don't make a mistake. In this line of work, it might cost us our lives. You'll do well to remember that we've only got one of those."

"I accept the mission and I will not make a mistake."

"Good." L replied, "I will inform you when you need to come next as Wedy."

L closed her cell phone with a snap. "Anna, you're more and more intriguing every time I meet you. In the right hands, you are deadly weapon." His shoulders sagged as he sat in his chair, and another memory flashed back at him.

"Yes…a deadly weapon."

_Flashback_

The detective was intrigued by the work of this assassin. It had been flawless, and whatever trap he had set for her was carefully evaded, even if it was at the last moment. This was his last trick; he would meet whoever this assassin is face to face.

L wore a black robe over his usual shirt and jeans. He wanted it to be obvious, so that the assassin would easily be able to pick him out from a crowed. The he would see just how skilled he or she actually is. He was sure he could defeat them; he was trained from the best, after all.

"Watari, are we ready?" L asked.

"Ready when you are, L." Watari replied.

L stepped outside, the 37th assassination is to happen here, and he was intent on being right in the middle of it. "Anything goes out of plan, I want you to disable the assassin immediately, kill if you have to."

The assassin had come right on time; and had quite easily noticed L in his black robe. It was pitch black, and the target was also moving close to the meeting place. "So the great detective wishes to catch me this way. Does he?" the assassin laughed, the voice of a girl. She walked slowly towards L, stopping three steps away. "How do you do today detective?" she greeted politely.

L didn't come up with a come back, instead, he swung over to kick his opponent beside the head. She caught his kick easily. "Hasty aren't we?" she smiled, and pulled a slim dagger from her boot. "Sorry, but I've got orders, and I will carry them out." She looked dead into his eyes, even in the protection of the darkness, L felt transparent. "I'll be back for you." She whispered. L's eyes widened, but before he could stop her, she sped away. Seconds later, a scream was heard as the victim was killed, L turned around, and watched silently with a frown as the assassin jerked the knife out of the body's chest, and wiped it clean with her handkerchief.

She was quite aware of the rifle trained on her some place away, and she was ready for it. As hard as Watari tried, he couldn't handle the speed of the assassin. "Detective." She smiled, "You think you can catch me with such sluggish tactics?"

L dodged her first blow, but was caught by the second, causing him to stumble backwards. She attacked quickly, with fierceness almost seemingly familiar. L sidestepped to give her a side kick, but she caught it with ease as she jumped over him, the knife over his throat. "But you're so slow," She joked, "How did you ever work up your courage to come out at night?" She smiled, and hit the pressure point over his neck. L blacked out.

He opened his eyes to the brightness of the room. He was in a bed, but his dark cloak was still draped over his face, much to his relief. The girl entered the room. "He's coming to see you detective." She said, last night was too dark to make out her face, but now, she wore a dark veil to cover her features, leaving only amber eyes to observe. Eyes that was familiar, but difficult to place.

"I guessed there was someone directing you to do these murders." L said, sitting up. "But why am I treated like a guest and not tied up? And my cloak, you didn't try to look at my face.

Her eyes narrowed then brightened into a laugh. "You think highly of yourself don't you, detective? You're no real threat, there's only one person on earth that I would maybe fear, and the chances that you are him aren't very high. Your face is no important matter; you wore the cloak so people will not look at your face, so it's no right of mine to look while you're asleep. I am very curious though; so feel free to take it off."

Just then, a knock came from the door, and the girl opened it to let a man in. He was only around 25 judging by his looks. He was pale, with dark hair and captive eyes. Silently, he walked and sat in a chair, observing L, who now stood by the wall. "Hello, detective L." he murmured, as polite as the girl, "I'm Alexander, and as you guessed, the one directing her to do the murders. Turning to the assassin, his eyes narrowed. "Take his hood off." He ordered her, and she nodded. "Take your own off as well, you know how much I hate it."

The girl pulled off her own veil, then L's hood. As she met his eyes, she stared in disbelief. "You are him…"

"Anna." L whispered.

"What's the matter?" Alexander questioned, quickly taking out a gun from his coat and pointed it at L.

L grabbed her hands in his and looked into her eyes, "Anna, you killed them." He whispered, "But why?"

"Anna, kill him!" he ordered, "Kill him at once!"

The girl's eyes were shocked, but little by little, they regained their reasoning. "You're the detective trying to capture me?"

"L, my name is L."

She shook her head and grabbed her hair with her hands, her eyes were wide. "It's you." She backed into Alexander's arms, who took her and dug his fingers into her arms. She struggled for him to let go, but he continued holding on.

"Listen, Anna." He hissed dangerously in her ear, "I know where your parents are, and I will tell you where they are. But if you don't kill him, I'll kill them, got it? Don't forget, they're the only people in the world that can define you as somebody. Without a name, you're just trash."

Anna nodded slowly, and her hands went to grab the knife from her boot. She lunged at him. L narrowly dodged the knife, and caught the swift punch that followed. Anna was still looking for her parents, but hadn't he recently discovered…

L grabbed Anna's wrist and used his superior strength to pin her against the wall. With his other hand, he took a picture from his cloak. "Are they the people you're looking for?" It was a picture of two dead carcasses, bleeding from their temples as they were brutally murdered. "Anna! Listen! Your parents are already dead, Alexander killed them!"

Her struggles stopped as her eyes fell upon the picture and recognized its contents. "They're dead." She whispered, and in a flash her targets changed as she spun and started attacking the man. Who was ready with a gun pointing to her heart.

Bang.

Bang, bang.

"ANNA!!"

It was over as the girl lie bleeding in the ground, blood oozing from the wounds in her arm, leg, and shoulder. She had been fast to avoid the fatal areas that Alexander was aiming for, but the damage was still great. She won't be standing up in a hurry, much less fighting.

"That's enough I think." L murmured to the man as he quickly wrenched the gun from his hand and pinned him to the ground. Two police officers near the area were already here and quickly secured him in handcuffs. After he was sure that he could not escape, L examined Anna's wounds.

She was conscious, but crying way too hard to notice that she's been shot three times. "You think you can catch me with such sluggish tactics, Anna? You've got to work harder if you want to catch up." He stared intently at her, "Now, if you want to try to match my wits again, don't die on me, live on."

Anna smiled sadly as L put his hood back over his face, "I guess I owe you another one."

"Yes…another one."

_End of Flashback_

L smiled at his memory, she owed him a lot of favors. That's another reason that assured him that bringing her to Japan was the right thing to do. Anna won't die, not until she's repaid her debt to him for saving her life. Looking back, that was quite a lot of times actually. Now though, he should take some time off the investigation, at least somewhat. L fired up his laptop and opened the search engine Google. "I am so not suited for this." He murmured quietly to himself, "Now…dancing lessons…where are you?"

000000000000000

"Killing people never really gave me a chance to enjoy most things in life." Anna sat on her bed and opened up Google, "Ah well, I'm a fast learner, and my balance skills and feet move…quite fast. I should be able to master dancing within a week." Her fingers flied across the keyboard, "Dancing lessons…"

00000000000000

"Dancing lessons…" L stuck a thumb in his teeth as he scrolled through the pages. "Oh, found one."

000

"Perfect!" Anna exclaimed, "Let's see…"

000

"Dancing Lessons 101." Anna read the description quietly to herself.

000

"How to perfect your dancing from amateur to professional in one week." L finished, "Sounds not too bad."

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Author's Note: I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! As you can see neither of them had time to dance exactly so next chapter will be pretty exciting! Please read and review! Thank you to those reviewers who gave me continuous support!

PS: If you wanted the pictures i'll send them to you, but please PM me to tell me you got them

Hotori


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

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"I told you. I'm not changing into your dancing outfits." L explained with annoyance for the thousandth time. "They're ridiculous, I'm here for a week and that's it. I don't need to wear it." 

"It'll help with your lessons, everyone wears them." The teacher insisted.

Sighing, L tried one more time, "I'll pay you double for not wearing it."

"Done!"

"Finally." L ruffled his hair and stepped into the dancing studio. There were no other students there, though it didn't make him feel much better. "This is so not in the job description…" he murmured to himself and stood in the last row.

"Great." The teacher stood in the front of the studio, in front of the mirrors. "Another student should be joining us soon, I've just finished off last semester and you guys are probably the only students I have for this class." She explained, "We'll just wait till she gets here, then get into pairs, we're learning waltz today."

L wasn't surprised when she explained, who would want to go to this class and wear those tight out fits anyway? Frowning, he turned away from the mirrors. "Dancing is ridiculous." He mumbled under his breath.

"Sorry I'm late." A voice only too familiar came from the door, "There was a bit of a traffic…jam." Anna finished shakily. L's taking dance lessons? But didn't people of higher status like him already know how to dance?"

"That's fine. Your name?" The teacher asked," I'm Sayuri sensei."

"Anna. I'm pleased to meet you." Anna said, still keeping L in the edge of her vision. "I'm here for the week course."

"Whoa." Sayuri took one look at Anna's eyes and exclaimed, "You've got some bags under your eyes there."

Anna rubbed them sleepily, "I didn't sleep too well, and I had finals to prepare for."

Sayuri nodded, "Well don't worry about being late; you're right on time, go change into your dancing outfit."

Anna took one look at the tight clothing the teacher held and tensed, "I refuse." She said quietly, though with a glare that sent shivers down the teacher's back.

"Fine, fine, go pair up with that guy over there, we're studying waltz today." She waved her away, "His name is Ryuuga."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Anna." Anna introduced herself and sent an astonished glance to L, which he replied with a shrug.

"Ryuuga." L said simply.

The teacher coughed to get their attention, "Thanks, now, you guys are either lucky or the only ones naive to actually believe i was telling the truth about the one week thing. I was telling the truth, but normal people would never believe it. So I have no other students, and I'll be focusing all my attention on you two, come up to the front."

Anna wanted to say something, but L grabbed her hand and signaled for her to shut up before leading her up to the front of the class.

Sayuri smiled, "At least you know how to get on stage."

"I've sort of had to do this once." L replied dryly, and Anna looked at him with widened eyes.

"Good, show me how much you know." She continued on, "the basic form for waltz."

(I know absolutely nothing about waltz by the way.)

Dropping one of Anna's hands, he raised the other at shoulder height. After making sure Anna has no complaints, he gently placed her other hand on his shoulder while placing his own on her waist.

"Not bad…" the teacher commented, and L sighed in relief. Then as sudden as the relief had come, it was whisked away by a pressure on his back as the teacher pushed them both, hard, causing both of them to take a small step forward; closer to each other. "Don't be shy, it's just practice." She smiled playfully. "And your hand…" she plucked L's hand from Anna's waist, "Can go a little lower." She placed L's hand back about two inches lower, right above Anna's hips.

Getting more uncertain by the second, he looked to Anna to apologize, though she evaded his gaze and sighed silently. Noticing the tense atmosphere, Sayuri grabbed both their chins and turned them so that they faced each other. "Look at each other when you're dancing." She explained, and then turned to L, "Won't want your date to think you're looking at some other girl right?"

"Yes ma'am." L answered, boredom in his voice.

"Good, now, the steps are like this…."

L let go of one of Anna's hands and she spun gracefully over the dance floor before stepping lightly under one of his arms and spinning into his arms, joining her hand back in his. Next their positions were reversed, and Anna sent him a teasing look, telling him he better not mess up.

Of course, this was always the part where he did something wrong. Not being an expert martial artist or assassin like Anna, L didn't learn as fast. While she gracefully amazed both he and the teacher by taking control of the dance, L could only try to keep up.

To his relief, it went quite well, though he spun a little fast and Anna gently pulled on his hand to keep him in control. L steadied his footing and tried to spin in. Quite proud of himself so far, L released the breath he's been holding and locked his eyes with Anna's amber eyes.

"Hey! Watch your footing!" Sayuri hollered in warning. L snapped awake, and tried to pull on Anna's hand for balance.

"Wha-" Anna mumbled as she was caught off guard, and closed her eyes as she fell forward in a heap on top of L, their faces just inches apart.

Unable to control herself, Sayuri watched the clumsy partners on the floor and burst out laughing, "You guys are the most hilarious pair yet." She sat down on the floor beside them, "That's quite impressive, Ryuuga, not only is your dancing in sync but your falling techniques are also quite romantic."

Anna blinked twice, and quickly stood up, lending L a hand. "You're such a klutz, Ryuuga." She smiled, "I thought you'd do better than falling asleep in the middle of a dance, or am I just that boring of a partner?"

L took Anna's hand gratefully and pretended to pout. "Alright, I get it. I won't mess up again."

Beeeep……Beeeeep

"Oh sorry, my cell phone." Sayuri stood up and answered the phone, "What?" she said after a while, "Okay, alright, I'll be right there." She flipped off her cell phone and turned around with a sorry expression.

"My grandmother just had a heart attack." She said hastily, packing up her clothes, "However," she looked at Anna, "since you did pay and the other guy paid double to not wear the outfit…I'll leave you guys the keys." She handed a pair of keys to L and started for the door, "Stay as long as you like to practice, I'm leaving the radio here anyway, just lock up when you leave. Give the key to me tomorrow, I've got a spare."

"Um…uh." L protested, but was cut off by a bang of the door.

"I'm tired to death." Anna complained and sat of the floor and closed his eyes, "Let's take a break, how long can you stay for, L?"

"We have got around another thirty minutes. Come on Anna, don't be lazy." L tugged at Anna's sleeve, "Anna?"

L got no response, after waving his hand in front of Anna's face several times. "She's asleep." He whispered to himself, and sat on the ground beside her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. Cautiously, L lightly touched the bags under her eyes. "Haven't slept well…" he sighed, "Between getting to know Light, following Misa and searching through piles of information every day and night you haven't slept at all have you?"

On the other hand though, the investigation team members will be getting worried if I don't get back soon. L thought, what a time for Anna to fall asleep. L laughed inwardly to himself, bet she's late catching up on some sleep anyway. Come to think of it, he hasn't slept for…a few days either, but he's got sugar to keep him going. If Anna wants to become an assistant on his cases, she's really got to work up a more sugary diet.

L reached up to the light switch behind him, and with a flicker of his long pale finger, shut it off. Ah well…he thought, it's his fault for putting so many burdens on a single person. Let her sleep, after all, he's been pretty dependent on Anna's reports these past few days.

A few hours later, after staring into intense darkness for a while, L felt a tight grip on his arm, and turned around to find Anna clutching his arm in her sleep. "Ouch…tight grip you've got there." He whispered, and brushed away a few strands of hair from her face. Her expression was tense, and there were tears in the corner of her eyes. "Nightmares?" he asked the sleeping girl beside him with a frown, and wiped away her tears. "I thought you weren't a kid anymore, Anna."

Her grip tightened again, and L placed his other hand on her fingers, which were white from the strain, in a futile attempt to loosen her grip. "Hey, that hurts you kno-"

"Don't die…" she whispered in her sleep, "Please don't die…L."

L's eyes widened and he frowned. "Stop cutting me off in the middle of my sentence." He mumbled quietly to himself, "It's rude you know…even if you're asleep."

"I won't let you die!" she cried in her hoarse voice, with tears flowing from her still closed eyes.

The girl can get quite dramatic in her sleep it seems. L smiled, and patted Anna's head as if she were a little girl. "Alright…I get your point, I promise you I won't die."

Instantly, Anna's fingers loosened around his arm, as if his voice reached her in her dreams. Slowly, her breathing became soft and regular. L gently touched her on the side of her neck. "She recovers quickly too huh?" he whispered, "Her heartbeat's slowing down already."

But you're right Anna. L thought, I will probably die soon. The closer I get to Light's real identity, even using you, he gets closer to mine. If Light is Kira…I will probably be judged soon. And I don't know if I can evade death. L heaved a heavy sigh, a frown creasing his brow, I don't want to die.

L gently rested his head on his free arm, "How pathetic…being afraid of death." He breathed, and dozed off to sleep.

Anna opened her eyes to nothing but darkness, and raised her head. Following her instincts, she didn't make any sudden movements, but waited patiently as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "We're still in the studio?" she whispered, and for the first time, noticed the sleeping L beside her. It was her first time seeing L asleep. His pale features seem even more still and mysterious when he's sleeping.

Awkwardly, Anna removed her hand from his arm, and L woke with a slight groan, his eyes already shining in the darkness. "I see you finally got up, sleepy head." He said tiredly, and glanced at his watch. "Good job dozing off after Sayuri left. It's two in the morning."

"Was I…sleeping on your shoulder all this time?" Anna whispered.

"Yeah." Was L's simple reply.

"Sorry, I must've delayed you." Anna said again, even quieter this time.

Sighing loudly, L got up and sat across from Anna. He roughly grabbed her face and stared dead into her eyes. "I don't ever want to hear you say 'sorry' again. It seems to be all you've ever said to me the past few days, and I've had enough of it." He said icily, his patience worn. "I already told you a hundred times, I don't really care. The only thing you could ever do to piss me off is kill somebody, and you've promised me, you promised me that you would never kill anybody again, isn't that right?"

"Yes." Anna answered, and tried to avoid his piercing gaze.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." L found her eyes again, though his voice is softer, "Just be yourself, I don't blame you. I won't blame you for anything, especially not falling asleep after pulling a few all-nighters in a row." L released her from his grip and pulled to her feet, "You're losing your sharp edge Anna; where's all that fire you radiated from when I first met you, the girl who would jump in front of bullets and take me hostage?"

Anna got quietly to her feet and smiled, "Thanks you." She stepped forward and hugged L tightly, "Thank you for helping me pull myself back together."

L sighed and returned the embrace before stepping away and patting her on the head, "Good girl," he said, amusement in his tone though his face is impassive as ever. "Now cheer up, we're getting some ice cream."

"I-ice cream?" Anna stuttered, but was pulled along by L out the door. "Is there something about ice cream that you know that I don't?" Anna asked while L locked the door and dropped the keys in his pockets.

"Yes." L explained as they walked down the silent street together. "I was several years older than both Near and Mello." He laughed a little at the memory, "Believe it or not, they're actually both quite immature back then, especially Mello. He loved to compete with Near, and when he lost…he would sometimes cry."

Anna smiled and imagined a crying Mello, "So what did you do?" she asked.

"I'd buy him chocolate ice cream, and it'll work every single time." L answered, "Ice cream is among one of the most wonderful inventions humans every came up with." L said, gazing emptily into the night, "And among one of the only ones that were actually worth it, it cheers people up, a wonderful yet mysterious thing."

"Thanks for buying me ice cream." Anna replied sadly, her gaze upon the ground.

"There's something wrong isn't there?" L asked, his eyes flickering down to Anna. "I can tell, I'm good at reading people remember?"

"Who…who's that person you had to dance with before? You said you've sort of had to dance once before once right?" Anna murmured quietly.

L bent down and observed her face for a second before continuing to walk, "Not jealous are we?" he said, and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"Of course not!" Anna pulled his thumb out of his mouth, "Just curious."

"I see." L mused, "Well, it was a girl; she admired me quite a lot. I remember buying her ice cream too." He paused for a second to sneak a look at Anna before continuing, "To answer your question, it was her birthday. She was around Mello and Near's age, another admirer. She was ten, two years younger than me. Same as you actually, she requested that for her birthday, I'd dance with her, and I did, so I kind of learned how to dance, at the orphanage."

"How about when you bought her ice cream?" Anna pursued, "Why was she sad?"

L sighed, an expression of pain creasing his features, "It was because I was leaving the orphanage, to become a detective." He answered, "She cried so hard, grabbing my hand and not letting me go. So in the end I took her to an ice cream shop and sat there with her while she cried, until she fell asleep."

"Then you left…" Anna whispered, "Where is she now?"

L stopped in his tracks, "No one knows. She ran away from the orphanage a few days after I left. However, given her condition, she's most likely dead."

"Condition?"

"She's sick with leukemia, a blood cancer." L explained quietly, his expression was impassive and unreadable, but Anna could practically feel the sadness radiating from him.

Anna stepped in front of L and brushed away his bangs to look into his eyes, "I'm sor-I mean, I understand how she feels, she doesn't blame you. She knows that you have your own future out there and she's happy for you. She wouldn't want you to be sad, come on, let's get ice cream."

L shook her hand away and continued walking beside her, "Thanks, but…how would you know how she feels?"

"I guess it's because, it was how I felt after you stopped those people from them from doing experiments on me, and then disappeared from my life forever." Anna answered with a sad smile.

"Really…I suppose I owe you an apology then." L mumbled.

Anna gently shook her head, "You can't stay with every person you save."

L agreed with a subtle nod, "Well, I'm glad the one I got to meet again was you, Anna. Thanks for risking your life to help me on this mission."

"Speaking of which, what are you dressing up as for the dance?" Anna tilted her head to one side and asked.

"Umm… I'll tell you I've been looking at masks." L answered, "Yourself?"

"I've got it quite planned out, it'll be quite simple, but one of a kind." Anna laughed, "I can't wait to see the expression on people's faces."

"Oh really?"

"You're more talkative than you usually are L." Anna said with a teasing expression, "I didn't say anything…weird in my sleep for you to talk like that right?"

"Am I?" L shrugged, "Must be my craving for ice cream." he pointed to a little shop and they walked towards it. Anna had noticed that he changed the subject swiftly, and hadn't really answered her question.

I dreamed about L, dying of a heart attack. She thought soberly, I hope I didn't say anything too embarrassing. Still, L didn't want to talk about it… guess that's fine too. She reached her hand into the freezer and pulled out an orange flavored popsicle, while L chose strawberry. "Sugar helps?" she asked, raising the popsicle to show him.

"Sugar helps." L confirmed, and after paying, they walked out of the shop. "I'll walk you home, and then go back."

"It'll be pretty late then won't it? Sure you don't want to just stay and chat?" Anna licked her ice cream. The cold texture felt wonderful on her tongue and did cheer her up immediately.

Swallowing a chunk of ice cream, L turned to look at her with confused eyes, "You've got school tomorrow, and judging by those bags under your eyes…" he gently wiped the dark circle under Anna's eye, "Light will be asking after them a lot don't you think?" He teased, though Anna thought she detected a hint of sadness in his eyes when he said that. "I think I'll leave you to your beauty sleep." L finished, "I have a theory to work on anyway."

"I won't bother you then," Anna took his hand and lifted it from her eyes, keeping it in her own as they walked, "though I wish you would talk more about yourself, more often, like right now."

"There aren't that many happy memories in my past." L confessed.

"Well you're the only one in mine." Anna challenged, "You don't see me complaining."

L's expression remained unchanged, "Sometimes it's hard for me to visualize how important I am to people." He said quietly after a while.

"Does it help you visualize if I say I won't be alive if it wasn't for you?" Anna said as they walked towards her apartment door.

"I'd rather you don't." L ruffled his hair, "It just puts that much more pressure on me."

"Well I'll thank you for the ice cream." Anna said and stepped inside her door.

"Good night." L said, and patted her on the head. Then his hand slid down to her face, and L had a hard time withdrawing his gaze from her eyes. His heart rate increased dramatically, and L became quite puzzled. "Be good." He said, and allowed his fingers to trail down her face.

"See you." Anna replied, and watched as L slid away into the darkness.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey guys...I have bad news...i will be away on a vacation to visit my relatives in another country, so the next update won't be till August :( 

I know...cry...it's all okay! Shed your tears of sadness!

And also...i'll be laying off on the romance stuff for a while, let's see Anna in action more often! The school dance will probably take place in chapter 11.

L: Come my fans, weep and give me sugar in Hotori's absence. (It'll make Hotori update faster)

Light: NOOOOO!!!! I'm out of the story! AGAIN!!!!

Hotori: sigh...here are my reasons Light

a) YOu're NOT the main character

b) You don't love L...do you?

c) I hate you

d) Everyone else hates you too

e) You're worthless D

Light:...X.X

L/Hotori: Yup! Go Die!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Owns Nothing...I'm worthless

* * *

All alone after sending home worried investigating members, L turned on the water tap and furiously splashed icy water onto his face. His mind was unnaturally blank except for the anger that caused him to shiver as it raged in his head. His eyes were narrowed, and he gripped the edges of the sink, his knuckles frighteningly white. He gritted his teeth. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he sighed to him self. Shaking his head as the water dripped from his hair onto his shirt. L stared at the mirror before him, rage burning through his eyes.

"L." The computer interrupted, a distorted voice coming through.

Releasing the sink, L hid his shivering hands in his pockets and glanced at the screen. He wiped some water from his bangs and sat down, gripping his knees. "What is it, Near?" he sighed.

"Troubles with the case, L?" Near asked, reading L's tone even through the distorter. "Not too big a problem I hope."

"Troubles yes, the case, not so much." L replied dryly, "What is it anyway?"

"Mello," Near answered, simple and quick.

L squeezed his eyes shut and thought for a while, "Mello conflicting with what you're doing?" he asked.

"And what you're doing." Near added with a sigh, "He's going to start kidnapping people to get his information."

L frowned, he had thought to send Anna to Britain to check on Near, but now Mello seems to be needing his attention more. "What do you want me to do about it Near?" he asked finally after giving some careful thought.

"You have to make me ask?" Near asked, annoyance speaking clearly through the distorter, "There's no way Mello would listen to anything I say, but he respects you and he admires you. Send someone over to nudge him off the idea, or at least inform us of what he's going to do so we don't pay the consequences."

"I'll send someone over to you on Saturday." L finally gave in, "Tell her about Mello and what role she's going to play."

"She?" Near puzzled, and the computer was silent for a while before Near's decisive voice came through. "Anna." he said.

"Of course." L answered swiftly, "Anything else?"

Near quickly noticed that L was being bothered, "No, thank you." He said, and the letter N disappeared from the screens.

L sat back in his chair. Near's message bothered him a little. As far as he knew, Mello was currently working with the Mafia. And he knew Mello quite well; he could describe a few things that Mello hated, such being told what to do, being inferior to others, and most of all, being babysat. Anna would have tell Mello what to do, show that she's superior to Mello in some way to gain his respect, and most of the time, baby sit and report back to him on Mello's interests.

Near and Mello, being who they were, had caught up on L's case with Anna, and knew a thing or two about it. In fact, he had been quite angry with the way L treated her. L could still remember. So is it okay to send Anna to Mello?

Flashback

"Mello," L kindly greeted the blonde boy, "How are you these days at the orphanage? Still competing with Near?"

But Mello looked back at him with calm and serious eyes, "There something I want to talk to you about, L." he said, and led L through the orphanage to a room with video games. "I saw her on TV." Mello explained as he turned on a hunting video game, "That assassin you captured, who swore never to kill again because you "saved" her."

L frowned a little but listened on, "Yes, what about her?"

"Just watch what I'm about to do." Mello pointed to a wolf on the screen that he was controlling. L watched intently, and then Mello expertly moved wolf around, stalking a deer. Without a warning, the wolf pounced, killing the deer swiftly and began eating. Mello dropped the controls and turned around to face L, "Tell me, is the killing justified?"

L didn't speak, "Go on." He replied simply, and Mello's eyes narrowed before continuing.

"And in this situation…" Mello continued, and L watched again as the wolf moved across the screen at Mello's commands. Suddenly, it was surrounded by a pack of enemy wolves, and L's eyes narrowed. He knew it was going to lead to this. With huge swipes of his claws, the wolf batted two wolves out of the way, killing them as it went, and loped away in victory. "Is this killing justified?" Mello asked again, but received no reply.

L closed his eyes for a moment, and then gestured for Mello to continue.

"Fine, now watch this." Mello restarted the game, except this time, the wolf walked around, and avoided hurting anything alive. It did not hunt, and it did not eat. In a few moments, it was dead, starved to death. "What do you think of this?" the blonde boy questioned.

"It didn't survive," L answered quietly, "because it didn't kill to eat."

"Good." Mello restarted again, and once again met the same pack of wolves. The wolf didn't attack this time around, but tried to break out of the circle by running around, dodging the wolves' hungry jaws. Still, the result was the same, in a few moments, its energy was spent, and the wolf was dead.

"It didn't survive because it didn't protect itself." L answered again, not awaiting Mello to ask.

The boy turned around and looked L dead in the eye, "Exactly right, killing to survive is always justified by my standards." He explained, "If that assassin is being attacked one day, and if she remembers your vow never to kill. Would she let herself be killed to keep your promise? And if she dies, whose fault is it?"

L didn't reply, but listened on with silent eyes.

"After all those people she killed, do you think they would all just let her go?" Mello inquired with eyes full of blame, "Not to mention there were many people in power. They'll come after her, and she would have no way to protect herself. By making her promise what she did, you took away her right to survive, L." Mello said icily, "Sooner or later, mark my words, L, just like that wolf. She will die."

L stood up, but Mello seized his hand, "And it will be your fault." He added.

Closing his eyes in a sigh, L helped Mello to his feet. "Look," he whispered to the boy, "You don't know her like I do, alright?"

Mello trailed behind him, "Maybe not," he shrugged, and then smiled deviously at L, "But when the day comes to pass that she does die because of what you made her promise. Make sure to remember my words, and regret your mistake."

L raised his hand in a short wave to Near, who was approaching, then added one quick reply. "Sure thing, Mello."

End of Flashback

Trying to concentrate again, L flashed through all the files he's had on Kira so far. "Wait…" L murmured softly, and reviewed the note he got from Kira, "L…do you know…Shinigami…love apples?" he read the note aloud. It maybe small, but it's something. L nodded and turned on the connection to Watari.

"Yes, L?" The old man's voice responded.

"I want a chart of the apple sales throughout the Kanto region in Japan since the murders started." L replied, "I want to know which credit card brought which number of apples."

Watari sighed; L was being pushed to the end of his rope huh? "Sure, L." he answered. "Good luck with that."

Light sat at his worktable with a relaxed pose, one hand supporting his face. Silently, the genius closed his eyes in thought, and the Death God beside him watched intensely with anticipation plastered across his face. Finally, Light opened his eyes and stared at Ryuk before stating his thoughts, "Just listen without laughing, Ryuk." He commanded, "To further improve my control on the police and society, I need a spokesperson for my will, and L's looking into me more and more, I barely have time to do anything out of his sight, much less carrying out judgment."

"So you're saying you need a spokesperson and someone to carry out judgment for you." Ryuk nodded with a cackle, "I'm telling you I ain't volunteering!" The Shinigami turned around and started jumping on the bed. Light turned away from Ryuk, and pulled some hair away from his face.

"Not you idiot." Light retorted, "But I'm thinking Takada Kiyomi might be a good choice, she did like me for a while anyway. Tapping gently on his laptop, Light quickly pulled up some files, "I'm not asking her directly though," he explained, "I've got my eye set on another guy, the guy carrying out judgments in my absence."

"Oh?" Ryuk muttered curiously, "Who?"

"Mikami, Teru." Light answered with a clever grin.

Ryuk nodded, "But why not that girl you've got your sights on?" he asked with a devilish grin, "Anna wasn't it?"

Light closed his eyes in irritation, "I've told you that the one who carry's out judgment will have to contact Takada Kiyomi. Anna doesn't even know her much less anything else. Otherwise, you're right, she would be a good choice. But as far as I know, Mikami Teru's had some contacts with Takada Kiyomi in the past. He actually thinks quite highly of her."

"Ohhh, so you want to contact Mikami Teru and get him to contact Takada Kiyomi, as well as carry out the judgments." Ryuk jumped around in joy, "I like that idea!" he cackled.

"So here's the question I have to ask. If Mikami Teru gets my note, can he use it while I keep my memories?" Light asked.

The Shinigami thought for a while, and gave Light a monkeyish grin. The genius sighed, and grabbed an apple from his supply at his bedside, and tossed it to Ryuk. "Ahh…apples." Ryuk laughed, "This helps me think."

"Just get on with it Ryuk!" Light commanded with a cold glare.

"Alright, the answer is, yes you can. As long as you know where the Death Note is, you haven't lost it. Mikami Teru and use the note to his pleasure." Ryuk answered with some 'Hyuk, hyuks,' and chomped down the apple in one bite.

"The reason I'm telling you this, Ryuk, is a warning." Light growled, "Under no circumstances are you to tell Mikami Teru who the real Kira is, that is, me."

"Oh, alright I won't interfere." Ryuk replied tamely, "I want to see what interesting things will happen anyway. Still…I can't guarantee unless I have a steady supply of apples."

"I'll make sure Mikami Teru gets you apples, Ryuk." Light sighed with a smirk, then took up his cell phone.

"Light! Light!" Misa's voice exclaimed on the other side, causing Light to move the phone further from his face in a small frown.

"Misa." Light answered charmingly, "I need you to do me a favor."

The excited actress gasped on the other side, "Yay! Light needs me! Yay, yay! Don't worry Light, Misa-Misa will do everything in her power to make your dream come true!"

"Good, then I'll need you to send over my Death Note to someone named Mikami Teru in a moment." Light explained, that dumb blonde is so easy to control, he thought. "I'll have his address and everything to you. Make sure that you aren't found out." Light emphasized the last sentence.

"Of course!" Misa giggled, "Misa-Misa will support Light with her everything, because Misa-Misa's love for her Light is the greatest!"

"Thanks Misa, and tell him to give the Shinigami Ryuk a steady supply of apples, though don't spoil him." Light smirked again, "That's all."

"Misa-Misa will see Light later!" the blonde girl laughed on the other side of the phone, and Light flipped off the phone with a gentle shake of his head.

"So easy to control…" he sighed, "Now Ryuk…for both our best interests, let's hope Anna will be as easy to persuade as Misa."

* * *

Author's Note: I"M BACK!!!!!!!!! DID YA MISS ME??? Sorry that's such a short chapter…I will work hard on the next one! I've been postponing the dance long enough. Time for some DRAMA!!!!!! Muhahahahahahahaha…..

Light: OHH LOOK, I"M BACK!!!

Hotori: sigh...being the villian of the story you can't exactly stay away.

L: So true, otherwise he wouldn't appear at all.

Light:...meanies.

Hotori: OH, did you KNOW, i have 101 ways of killing you?

Light:... sweatdrop

Hotori: I really do, but it's too long to post it all here.

L: I liked the one with the nail clippers.

Hotori: yea...you clip off his flesh...bit by bit...

Light: gulp

Hotori/L: Laughs evilly


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Death Note me no ownee.

Yagami Raito 1: use nail clippers and clip off his flesh, slowly...painfully...

* * *

The dance lessons progressed without much incident. Each time, they were to master a new dance, and as the school's dance drew near, L and Anna were perfectly ready to confront Light of being Kira.

"Well done." Sayuri concluded at the end of the last lesson, and clapped her hands a few times in congratulation, "You guys are fast learners, both of you." She smiled, then draped one arm over L's shoulder and whispered, "Though Ryuuga, it wouldn't hurt to practice a bit at home. "Make sure you're alone when you practice though." She gave him a playful wink. "Anna, wonderfully done, you have a lot of potential there and I know you'll go far someday."

"It's all thanks to you." Anna replied with a grateful smile, "Thanks for everything."

"You've been wonderful students." Sayuri smilingly replied, "If you guys hadn't come when you did, I probably had to beg on the streets. You guys saved me, that's for sure. I can't figure out why no one trusts my description on the net."

"No offense," Anna answered with a gentle laugh, "But it doesn't take a genius to see that the description is a little unrealistic."

"Really?" Sayuri said in a extremely surprised tone, "Well then I suppose I should change it…but don't worry about me. You guys have fun at…what was it, school dance?"

"That's right." L nodded, "I'm sure it will be an… interesting event."

00000000000000000

"I'm guessing you came alone for the dance, Ryuuga?" Light asked with a smirk. He was dressed in a dazzling Egyptian silk robe, fit for a Pharaoh, which was, curiously, exactly his purpose. In his hand was a scepter, which identified him even more. Even at a glance, you could tell the power that lay in the person through the costume.

"Didn't think I'd need a partner." Was L's reply, accompanied by a gentle shrug, "Though I take it that Light kun has brought someone?" L followed his explanation with a question. "She must be something if you're interested." He in turn, was wearing a white mask that covered little more than half his face. Then instead of his usual white shirt and blue jeans, he was dressed in formal gentleman clothing, a proper white shirt on the inside, contrasted with the black tailed suit. In many ways, he looked like a pianist, though the mask didn't exactly fit with the costume.

The brown haired genius smiled, "She is something, to have bested me in tennis. Light studied L again curiously before changing the subject, "I had told you that the theme was history, but who exactly are you dressed up as?"

"I don't actually believe that everyone will obey the rules." L replied simply, "And to answer your question, I believe I'm dressed up as Phantom of the Opera, a useful costume for hiding my face, though I still must say, this is ridiculous. There's no way this is part of my job."

"I see."

"And may I ask what Light kun is dressed up as?"

"The Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen." Light shrugged, "though there isn't really a specific purpose in my costume."

L's eyes widened a bit, "I think you'd make quite a powerful ruler." He answered carefully, his eyes still and haunting.

Light frowned and gritted his teeth. This guy…pestering me even now… "Don't give me that Ryuuga." Light glared, "I'm not Kira and I'll prove it, so can you leave me alone for at least today, and not try to make me feel watched?"

Cocking his head lightly to one side, L's eyes never left Light's, "I can't. Light kun might have something planned against me today. Though if you want, I'll keep my theories to myself." L raised his thumb to his lips.

Light looked away and sighed, "I figured it was too much to ask of you." He shook his head in frustration, "But we are supposed to be seen as friends, so if you don't mind…can you at least act?"

"I don't mind." L simply replied before swiftly changing the subject. "Though I want to ask, why are there only guys here? I didn't know your school's dances consisted of only guys." What he said was true. He was a little troubled by Anna's absence, even though this was probably some tradition in this particular school.

"The girls enter one by one through that door, with that anchor guy announcing their arrival." Light simply replied. "Of course, they can choose not to and enter through the regular doors once the announcing ends."

Suddenly, lights burst from the door that Light earlier indicated. And the girls began to enter, each announced who they are dressed up as before disappearing into the crowd below.

L turned to Light in surprise, "This is actually quite formal isn't it?" he asked.

"Quite," was Light's simple reply.

Neither of them spoke again as they watched the entry, both awaiting the same person. However, they were both surprised when a tap contacted Light's shoulder.

"Looking for me?" Anna grinned as both the guys turned. She was dressed in sort of native clothing, something found in the medieval times. In her hand was a beautifully crafted bow, and a quiver of arrows was attached by a strap on her back. Her hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of her head, while a translucent cloth covered the bottom half of her face, leaving her eyes the center of attention.

Light smiled generously as he took Anna's hand, "I must say I expected you to enter the other way." He said and he kissed her hand gently, "Thanks for coming."

"You're welcome." Anna replied with a wink, "But a thief doesn't make herself known to the public, especially not Robin Hood's daughter, Princess of Thieves."

"I thought Robin Hood was a legend." Light cocked his head in puzzlement, "Or is no one following the rules of this event?"

"Legends have certain true points don't they?" Anna countered with amusement.

"True, though I dare say you're the only one who's ever worn boots to the annual school dance." Light teased.

Anna smirked in reply, "Just watch, I'll be the one laughing when all the others are complaining about hurting feet." Then she side stepped and peeked behind Light, "Who's that over there? Your friend?" she smiled teasingly at L.

"Right, sorry." Light turned around, "Anna, this is Ryuuga Hideki." He introduced, "Ryuuga, this is Anna, and as I have told you, the one who had beaten me at tennis."

"Nice to meet you," L said blankly as he shook Anna's hand, a thumb still in his mouth. "To have Light beaten at tennis…you must be a very brilliant athlete. I only wish I was there to see it."

Anna transferred her eyes to Light then back to L, "Don't take it the wrong way," she laughed, "But Light…your friend is… very unique." She studied his costume, "Phantom of the Opera?"

"Very observant." L answered, "It looks like Light has met his match."

Silence greeted his words, then was broken again as a huge voice boomed from the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen," it came, drawing attention from all over the dance floor, "Welcome to the annual school dance. But this year will be different from the others, for we have a special guest. I am proud to introduce, our school principal's five year old daughter and the guest of honor, Stella!"

L flinched at the name, catching both Light's and Anna's eye, though none of them said anything. The three of them watched as a happy girl ran eagerly onto the stage, "Hello." She whispered shyly into the mike, "I'm Stella."

The announcer took up the mike again, "Some time during this event, Stella will be choosing a song for all of you to dance to." He voiced excitedly, "And as always, the best dancers will get a prize at the end of the dance!"

Shouts of excitement broke out from the crowd as they cheered all around the room. After a while, the announcer raised his hand for silence, and the crowd calmed down. "Thank you, thank you." He replied as silence once again filled the gym, "Now, I proclaim, let the dance begin!"

Voices roared again, but was drowned by the music, which was even louder. All over the dance floor people came in pairs, swinging around under the persuasion of music and the joyous atmosphere.

"I suppose I'll leave you guys now." L said impassively, "Have fun." he looked at Light, then turning to Anna, L gently inclined his head, "It really was nice meeting you." He stared at her as he spoke the words. Then without another look to either of them, L turned and walked away.

Light took Anna's hand and led her away, "Don't mind him." He explained, "Ryuuga's always like that."

"But he really is unique." Anna replied, acting like she didn't know him at all.

"He is, but enough about him." Light turned around to face her, "You ready?"

Anna took a deep breath and looked up at Light, "Yup." She put her hand on Light's shoulder, and barely suppressed a shiver as she felt his hand at her waist. I'm so going to regret this, she thought. Then again, I can use this to my advantage. "Light." She started the conversation as they swirled around the dance floor, "You're dressed up as an Egyptian Pharaoh aren't you?" she mused, "Quite a powerful role, it suits you." She added graciously.

"Thank you." Light answered, fairly satisfied with the subject. "Though I must ask, why a thief? A criminal?"

"You think I'm any normal thief?" Anna narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Of course not, you're the Princess of Thieves." Light smiled, "But do explain."

Anna closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, "I've always kind of admired Robin Hood, who stole from the rich and gave too the poor. He stole for justice, he was a criminal who lived for justice. That's why no law can ever catch him, they were imperfect, they always were and they still are now." Anna resisted talking about the similarity to Kira, not wanting to act suspicious.

However, Light brought up the subject instead. "You sound like you would also admire Kira. After all, he also uses criminal actions to help him achieve what he believes to be justice." he said.

"I do believe what Kira is doing now is for the good of all humanity." Anna lied easily. "I mean, he is making the world a much better place. The crime rate decreased by 70 percent now that he's in power."

"You sound like you know him quite well, as well as you support him."

Anna nodded, "Since I support him, I have done quite the research." she answered, it was half true, since she did research on the guy, a lot of research. "How about you Light? Do you support Kira?"

Light played with the question in his mind. She could have a recorder on her if she worked for L, and such evidence would mean death for him instantly. Should he lie? or should he tell her the truth. That he was Kira, and that he wanted on his side. It's not hard to see that she have feelings for him, for who else would admit freely and in public that she admires a killer to their date, not knowing his feelings on the subject? "I do think that his intentions are good." Light finally answered, "Kira is a good guy, though his methods are…questionable."

Anna restrained a sigh, looks like he wouldn't be telling her anything here. The recorder wouldn't be much use. "So you're not for or against Kira?" she gave one last try.

Light shrugged, "I don't think about it as much as you do." he lied, "But I do think that such a subject is not relevant with this occasion."

"You're right." Anna smiled, "Let's talk about you, what you like?"

Light let out a gentle laugh and looked into her eyes, "I thought it would be obvious." he gently let go of one of her hands and spun her away.

"Thanks." Anna said as she spun in skillfully and gracefully. "And don't say you weren't talking about me because I know you are."

The song ended after what seemed like an eternity for Anna, who sighed in relief masked by a smile. "You're a good dancer." she praised.

"Thanks, you too." Light returned the compliment. "Let's get a drink." he took her hand and led her to the bar. "So." he asked after their drinks were prepared in front of them. "I am a little curious about one thing. Ryuuga won the British Junior Tennis Championship."

"No small feat indeed." Anna commented kindly.

Light nodded, "And if I was able to beat him…what level are you at that you have beaten me, yet I have never heard about you?"

Anna smiled and sipped her drink, "I practiced, a lot." she answered with a shrug, "I have taken Martial Arts and Karate when I was little, so my timing and footwork needed less practice than everyone else."

"You do seem like you're in skilled every kind of sport and activity." Light complimented, "and like I said, you're an exceptional dancer."

"Thank you." Anna said, "You're not bad either, and I think I'm just lucky enough that you're place first in practically every kind of test invented. Quite a genius I must say; and quite a challenge."

Light was going to say something else, but two girls came randomly out of the crowd. "Light kun," one enthusiastic girl said, "I don't mean to interrupt, but…would you like to dance with me?" she winked.

The genius looked at Anna, who shrugged and gave her permission. "Alright." Light answered with a smile, then took up his glass and finished his drink in one gulp. "See you later, Anna."

Anna gave a small wave and a forced smile, then as soon as Light was out of sight, she took a deep breath and shuddered. "Finally…he's gone." she eyed at her drink, then left it on the table as she went looking for a certain masked guy.

Suddenly, a piercing sound spread throughout the gym, and Anna covered her ears instantly. The music sputtered, and quickly went out. "That can't be good." Anna sighed to herself as she watched the DJ work around the wires in panic. The people around her were already complaining loudly, angry looks splattered on their faces. And then, just as sudden as the music went out, it came back in a wave of refreshing piano notes.

Listening to the song, Anna felt her spirits soar instantaneously, as if a current swept through her entire being, body and soul. Even though as beautiful and mysterious as the song was, she detected streams of sorrow and sadness, woven cleanly into currents hidden in the melody. "Who played this song?" she wondered, and followed her sharp ears to the source of the song.

"L?" she whispered in disbelief, "You can play piano?"

The detective didn't turn around, but stared at the piano as his fingers worked furiously over its keys, propelling the sound that washed over the entire place. Driving the dancer's feet elegantly over the floor. "Where's Light?" L suddenly asked; his voice so quiet Anna almost missed it.

"Oh, he's gone with some other girl, much to my relief." she muttered, crossing her arms. "You're quite the life saver; I don't think anyone here and play at your level and save the dance."

L's eyes silently went to the DJ, who was looking around too, for the source of the mysterious but beautiful music. He had quickly fixed the music system, and as he found L's eyes, the detective nodded, and the music slowly began in a decrescendo. The machine's music roared again, and finally, the piano's sound faded into nothing.

"Playing piano is another thing that helps me think." L stood up and looked at Anna through his white mask, "It makes up for the lost 40 percent of reasoning when I sit properly. "I learned by myself when I was at the orphanage."

"I think it's also one of your only ways of showing your mood and feelings." Anna added with a smirk, "The song was lovely, though expert ears might be able to tell your mood from it."

"I figured you would hear." L sighed and turned away.

"You figured right." Anna replied with a small smile behind her translucent mask, "After all, I am-"

"Excuse me." A rough voice sounded behind them, and Anna turned around to find herself facing three big and very gangster guys, each dressed only to similar to their personalities, which are, easily guessable.

"What's up." Anna studied them head to toe. She took a step forward, sending them a covered glare and a devious smile.

As Anna expected, they didn't feel the obvious resentment through her glare, and the guy in the middle walked up casually, "Up for a dance girl?" he looked at her with lustful eyes.

The Princess of Thieves considered her options. She could totally beat them up, but that would cause a commotion not needed. She can say yes, but she had a feeling that something extremely bad will befall her. She can refuse, but she is sure that they won't give in that easily.

"I'm afraid she can't take up on your offer." L interrupted. He stepped forward and grabbed Anna's shoulder, "I was going to dance with her." His eyes were piercing behind his mask that the guy flinched uncontrollably when meeting his gaze.

Quickly regaining his composure, he scoffed after studying L in the mask, whose expression betrayed nothing. "Go on then." He smirked.

"Huh?" Anna was caught off guard.

"I said go on." The punk repeated, "I'll wait." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Suddenly, the song stopped for a millisecond, and another filled the room. It was quite familiar to everyone's ears, even Anna tilted her head, feeling that she had heard it somewhere before.

_There…you see her…_

_Sitting there across the way…_

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the DJ suddenly exclaimed, "The special song that our guest of honor has requested is now here! For all you lovers out there, Stella has chosen a timid, touching song known well by probably all of you."

Anna looked over at the DJ, "This is…."

"I give you…from Disney Classics The Little Mermaid…Kiss the Girl!"

Anna and L looked at each other, both unable to speak.

"Go on." The punk smirked, "Don't mind us; we wouldn't want to disturb you."

Reluctantly, Anna turned to L, who took her hands…

"Ridiculous." Was the thought in both their minds, "Or perhaps…fate?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Eeeek. This is longer than i expected...but anyway...what shall befall our hero and heroine when they have to go through that horrifying song of no return?? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

sry. Hyper right now.

L: ya think?

Hotori: sry about that

L: just so you know and my popularity isn't ruined, i haven't watched the Little Mermaid.

Hotori: shall recite the lyrics?

L: no thanks, Light's already sang that song three times. It's pretty obvious that he's watched it.

Hotori: I'm not surprised.

Light: is there a problem with me and Little Mermaid?

Hotori/L: nope...nervous laugh backs away very slowly


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, L, i don't want to own Light, but i do own Anna.

* * *

They quickly disappeared into the crowd. Anna took a quick glance around her and sighed. It almost seemed like they were going to be the only ones who weren't willingly dancing. "L, you really suck at comebacks don't you?" she sighed, knowing that the three sarcastic bastards still had their eyes on her.

L shrugged emotionlessly, "I don't interact with society, therefore I don't know about things like this." Twisting his head a little, he studied her face, "You feel awkward don't you?" he read her expression easily, "It's not like we haven't danced before." This statement was whispered, as to not be overheard.

"Why the heck would I feel awkward?" Anna smirked, "You should've seen your face when they asked me to the dance. I could practically feel the anger radiating from you, as much as you tried to hide it."

"I hate losing." L said simply.

"Then let's not lose." Anna took his hands, "There's no rule that says I can't dance with my superior." She whispered, "Besides, I have the right to be curious about my date's best friend."

_Yes, you want her _

_Look at her, you know you do _

_It's possible she wants you, too _

_There is one way to ask her…_

Anna closed her eyes as they glided over the dance floor. His pale hand felt wonderfully comfortable in hers. She knew it was dangerous for them to seen. It could destroy everything they worked for; it could be the cause of their deaths. But at the same time, she felt like none of that ever mattered. Being pulled by the current of the song, Anna gradually loosened her sharply trained mind, in this moment she would enjoy the present and not worry about the future. For this once, she would allow herself to be completely human. She would make this mistake, and she would not regret it. For the first time, Anna let go of her senses and drifted into the sensation of the song.

_Shalalalalala my oh my…_

_Looks like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl!_

_Shalalalalala isn't that sad it's such a shame too bad…_

_You're gonna…miss the girl_

L narrowed his eyes as the last sentence brought sadness to his heart. His fingers unconsciously tightened, and Anna immediately felt the tension behind his movements. Though unbelievably, she laughed quite wholeheartedly.

"Anna…" L murmured with a small frown.

"Quiet." She commanded with a smile and a small laugh, her eyes still closed. "I want to listen."

_Now's your moment  
Floating in a blue lagoon  
Boy, you better do it soon  
No time will be better…_

The detective had sensed the change in his partner. There had always been some part of her self that Anna had reserved. She never let emotions completely dominate her. Therefore there were never any mistakes in anything she's done. But lately he felt that she's been more and more relaxed. The part he thought was locked away forever was amazingly coming back. She was no longer the deadly weapon with strength that can threaten humanity. With him, he noted, Anna was gradually becoming more open, and at the same time as fragile as glass. And, he noticed with a pang of guilt, he wanted to protect her.

Suddenly, L regretted ever bringing the girl to Kanto, Kira's territory. Even more so he regretted forcing her into the very palm of someone as smart and as devious as Yagami Light, who was likely to be the mass murderer who wanted to be God.

"Hey." Anna opened her eyes and looked worriedly at L. She suddenly felt that her partner's movements were becoming less uncertain. She also noted with alarm…that his hands were shaking.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so relaxed." L commented with a rare smile. "I've got to say I like you better this way."

Anna immediately understood his feelings. She slowly controlled the dance to a stop, and hugged L tightly. "I'm not leaving or dying, so you won't be missing me anytime soon okay?" she promised, and smiled as L placed his hands lightly around her in return. "I had a human moment, but I'm as in control as ever. Trust me."

_Go on and kiss the girl…_

"I've always trusted you." L replied quietly.

_Kiss the girl…_

But I have got to control my actions towards you. L added painfully in his mind and pushed her away. For both of us.

_Go on and…kiss the girl…_

"I enjoyed the dance." Anna gave an awkward smile as the song came slowly to an end. "But I guess I've got a mission to complete now."

"I-" L started, but then shook his head and looked at her through his mask, "Never mind, go ahead." He told her, and watched sadly as she disappeared into the crowd.

Light quite easily told the girl off after the dance. He had to find Anna, before L gets to her and convinces her to spy on him. If she wasn't on L's side already, Light was quite sure that she could resist his offer, however tempting it may be, for she herself was a supporter of Kira. It's still quite possible that she was on L's side though. Light had a feeling that was growing inside his heart; it made him uncomfortable around Anna, almost like a warning.

No…he realized with a shudder, it is a warning, an instinct. He has always felt something uncomfortable around that girl. Something radiated off of her, almost like blood lust, or hatred. She also seems to jump at the mention of talking about Kira, though if she's truly a supporter; it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. Besides, it was quite clear that Anna could surpass any police alone with her physical abilities, and her mind seem to almost equal his own.

Almost, he noted with pride.

Still, Light thought with frustration, Anna could be an extremely valuable ally, but she also seemed just what L needs to get under his disguise. Light shook his head, should he ignore his instincts and try to gain an incredible weapon against L, or give up his greed and find another way, before L finds out who he really is?

The genius gently reminded himself to calm down. He still had time; he could still use Anna, even if she is on L's side. There was no need to rush; he had the rest of the dance to test her, there's no need to lose something over impatience.

"How was it?" a voice interrupted his thoughts, so suddenly that he was almost startled. Again, Light was surprised at Anna's abilities to sneak up on him; it was the second time in one night.

"How was what?" he turned to her with a wry smile.

"Don't play dumb," Anna replied with a playful tease in her eyes, "How was your dance? The girl was pretty, don't you think?"

"Not as pretty as you." Light answered truthfully, "How can she ever compare to the Princess of Thieves?"

"Flattered." Anna blinked, "But now you've probably broke that poor girl's heart."

Light laughed, "Come here." He took Anna's hand and led her to a balloon filled stand and handed her three balloons.

"Pretty." Anna commented generously and looked around at her surroundings as she always did when in a new area. She was especially interested on the huge banner displaying different time eras; at the same time noticing that above her hung quite a rough looking cave man with a realistic hard wooden spiked club.

Light grabbed more balloons and smiled, "You're missing the point here Princess." He led her to the school courtyard, now turned into a beautiful garden filled with luscious plants. "Let's see what you can do with those arrows of yours." he grinned.

0000000000000000000

"Kira…God…has entrusted this to me?" a dark voice whispered from a small room. "I knew it…my deeds of justice must've been seen, and now God has finally noticed!" he opened the black notebook and quickly glanced over the rules. "Wonderful…beautiful…God is truly amazing…" Mikami Teru murmured in sheer amazement as he studied the notebook. "Ryuk…is this true?" he asked the giant shadow beside him.

"Yeah, it's true." Ryuk answered, "The book's not yours as long as Kira lives, but you can use it all you like, though you won't be able to attain the Shinigami Eyes while you're not the owner."

Mikami Teru quickly glanced at the glowing screen that was the only light source in the room, then in swift movements, wrote something on the notebook before him. "Eliminate." He whispered as he wrote, then with another look, he wrote another name.

"Eliminate…"

"Eliminate…"

"Eliminate…"

"Eliminate…"

"Eliminate…"

"Haha!" the Shinigami laughed, "That Kira sure found a keen worker!"

00000000000000000000

The dance finally came to an end as the last song slowly faded into nothing. Excited chatters spread quickly throughout the room as all the different people from the room discussed the one thing on nearly all the minds. Who will be declared the best dancers of the night?

Suddenly, all the lights dimmed, making the bright stage center of attention. The DJ slowly stood up. "One more title must be declared before I announce the end of the dance." He spoke slowly and loudly, "That is, of course, the best dancers of the night." He paused for a second, allowing the tension to build. "I myself am astonished by the skill and grace of both of these dancers. Especially one of them was so new to the school. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Princess of Thieves and Pharaoh Tutankhamen, otherwise known as Anna and our school's popular Yagami Light!!"

(Author's Note: choke gag I can't believe I wrote this….)

L stared into the ground before him as the crowd around him cheered. It didn't particularly matter to him; in fact it was good for the mission. At least…that was what he told himself. He watched quietly as Light and Anna stepped onto the stage. His face was expressionless, as usual, though he felt a strange force inside for the first time. He was not jealous; at least, he was never jealous before. L was not jealous, right?

As usual, Anna accessed her surroundings with keen eyes. It unnerved her to be in front of a sea of people who knew exactly who she was. After all, she was used to being unknown, as invisible as she can possibly make herself, as her job demanded.

"Kiss the girl!" someone randomly shouted from the crowd.

Anna and Light stared at each other other quickly, unable to say much. Quickly, Anna's eyes went to the crowd, trying to pick out the one figure that was L. Finally, their eyes met, though as usual, L's face didn't show anything of help. So Anna automatically decided it was a chance choice. She turned to Light and smiled before pulling an arrow out of her quiver. "I am the Princess of Thieves, we'll have to see if you can handle me." She handed him her bow and arrow. "Hit three balloons with one arrow…and you get the Princess of Thieves."

"That easy?" Light took the bow and arrow, "I might not look it, but don't underestimate me."

"Show me your stuff then." Anna replied with confidence, she knew Light's level of skill from the practice they did earlier. However, from her study of the surroundings, one arrow to shoot three balloons that floated around the ceiling was almost impossible. There was but one way, and she curiously wondered in Light would catch it.

Light took the arrow and carefully aimed; realizing at first glance that just going for the balloons will result in only failure. His fingers lingered on the string as he narrowed his eyes as he locked the target in sight, then with a small smirk, le loosed the arrow.

It flew true, knocking down the small metal ring that held the spiked club above the balloon stand. It fell straight as gravity took its toll, and with the crowd's startled screams, fell right in the center of the stand, causing the balloons to pop in a crazy frenzy that encouraged further screams from the massive people below. With a gentle grin he turned to Anna as the horde of dancers finally calmed. "I believe I won." He said softly.

"So you did." Anna choked out, as her heart thumped wildly. After a few quiet moments, finally controlling her mind to stop screaming at her to jump off the stage and run away, or to kill him there and then. Anna stepped forward, and suppressed a shiver as raised both his hands, removing the thin veil that shielded her from his almost super natural ability to read expressions.

Forcing her every muscle and going against her every instinct, Anna raised her hands to cups his face. Light leaned forward, his eyes semi closed, and Anna again controlled the urge to push him away. Then as Light's eyes finally closed, Anna squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his lips forcefully touch hers.

(Author's Note: I still can't believe I wrote this…I suck…wallows in self pity)

L averted his eyes as the crowd around him cheered and clapped loudly. He had failed, as hard as he and Anna might've tried, the mission was over. Even from a distance, he read clearly Light's movements. He was testing Anna, and, he added as rage soared inside him, even during this, he's using her and trying to get to him.

The detective narrowed his eyes decisively, there's no way he's going to push Anna further into this pointless mission. It was right to send her to Britain, even if she's working under cover with Mello, it would be better than thrusting her into the hands of this demon. Mello's temper was dangerous, and he knew it, but it was better than Light; that L was sure of.

Like a ghost, L slipped out of the crowd and into the change rooms where he changed back into his normal white shirt and blue jeans. Then still unnoticed, walked calmly to the courtyard outside. It was time to discuss the new mission with his partner, and L knew from experience that it will not be easy. Trying to convince Anna to go to Britain without him will be like convincing an extremely hungry snake not to eat the mouse under his nose. The detective thought as he walked into the maze of a garden.

From a distance, he seemed like any normal person taking a walk, but even L could not deny himself the fact that, inside his pocket, his hands were tightened into fists, his knuckles white with pressure as he controlled the beast called rage within him.

* * *

Author's Note: L's NOT JEALOUS!! Is he? Gasp!! Sorry that I updated a bit late, but I probably won't be able to update regularly since school started sob Still, I'll try to keep it between a week or two. So please be patient as I will put school work before writing this…I think…I hope I can manage… 

Did you like the dancing scene between L and Anna? I actually liked it…a lot…

L: I'm not jealous…ur starting to ruin my reputation

Hotori: heh…sorry…I'll morph you back in character soon…I think..

Light: such a minor role…

Hotori: too bad Light. MUHAAHAHA!!!!

L: how shall we kill him today?

Hotori: I wonder…


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do no own Death Note.

Dang...School's gonna start...very soon...

* * *

After a quick excuse to Light, Anna practically vanished into thin air as she successfully avoided the looks of the people around her. She moved like a shadow, and in a flash was ready in her Wedy get up. I hate Light I hate Light I hate Light I hate Light I hate Light…she thought as she finally pulled the skin mask over her face, covering the anger that painted her face red. It was interesting, she could almost kill all the others for thinking that she was blushing, but no…she was dead angry, and she felt like she was going to puke. 

Anna sighed as she studied herself in the mirror, checking her disguise to have no holes in it. She was also a little surprised at L's disappearance the next time she looked for him, and a nagging thought tugged at her constantly. L wasn't mad at her…right? Anna drew the sunglasses over her eyes and glared at the mirror, good, no one could tell that she was still…blazing mad with fury. In fact, she was so bent up over her feelings that she nearly jumped when her cell phone beeped for her attention.

_No._ a different voice suddenly popped up in Anna's mind, a voice that seemed to have been hers so long ago. _Get a grip girl, since when have you become so soft? _It scolded, _you'll get killed in no time if you keep acting this way, you came here for a reason, and it is not this. You are making it complicated for both of you and at the same time putting more risks on both of you!_

Anna noted with sorrow that the voice was right. L, being the smart one, was keen on the matter and had set up emotional barriers in his mind, and every clumsy move she had made only made it harder on him. It was time to set up barriers of her own, it's impossible to protect L in her current state. She needed her cold blooded assassin's sharp personality, not this useless persona filled with emotions and weaknesses. Her assassin instincts had dulled to nothing, and now she was making the one person she wanted to help stumble. "Enough of this." Anna hissed, "I'm sick of this mission." Her eyes narrowed, whoever's going up against her on the next mission had a death wish.

Taking deep breaths, the assassin calmed her nerves and flipped open the gadget to find a single message:_ I'll explain in the courtyard._

"At least I don't have to go looking for him." Anna sighed, her accent immediately returning to the normal British tone. Then as quiet as a thief would be, she walked steadily into the courtyard.

"This way." A voice sounded, and she followed it to L, back to normal in his detective slouch as he led the way deeper into the garden, where they wouldn't be seen.

"L," Anna started. "I-"

"I want you listening when I explain this." L interrupted, "I'm giving you a new mission after that dramatic display I know you're never going to put up with again."

"Nothing gets past you, as usual." Anna mumbled under her breath.

"It wouldn't have worked either way." L answered, "Light's more cautious than I've imagined. I think you understand too that he's using you against me. It's better if we switch the strategy rather than keep at a battle we can't win."

"I thought you hated to lose." Anna quoted; her eyes fierce. It wasn't only Kira and L, she hated losing too, it was a new experience, especially to her restored assassin persona.

L stopped in his tracks, "I said we lost the battle, it doesn't mean we won't win the war."

"Sacrifices need to be made right?" Anna shrugged. "Sometimes it's necessary."

L turned to look at her, "It's more like I'm avoiding sacrifices." He explained, "But anyway, you next mission takes place back in Britain." Turning around, he continued walking, finally gesturing for her to sit down on a bench beneath a tree, hidden from view and away from unwelcome ears.

"Avoiding sacrifices?" Anna mused, "Doesn't sound like something you would do." She eyes L as he sat down beside her, noticing that he was carefully keeping his distance. "Come to think of it, you really are one of a kind."

L frowned lightly, a bit taken back at her odd remark. Ever since he became detective, he had trusted his sense of self control, but it seemed the second she arrived in Kanto, his self control was thrown apart, he didn't like it, and he won't let it slip by. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made." The detective finally replied after some thought, "It's a difficult choice, especially if you're in my shoes. But with different people, I tend to try my best to do what I can in such a situation."

"You know it's really confusing when you talk like that." Anna observed her surroundings, her emotions were stirring again, and she used her usual tests of the surroundings to calm herself, etching every scene into her mind. Still, it's just like L to twist things around, saying one thing while also could be determined as another. The assassin sighed silently in relief as she successfully recalled her surroundings to her mind. She recovered in time, so it seems.

They walked in a bit of silence, giving L the chance to reflect. This idea of bringing Anna to Kanto was turning out to be absurd. The control he once had over himself seemed nothing but a mere myth beyond his grasp, and during the dance, he had almost lost what little self control he had left. It wasn't going to work, it's just the chance Kira needs to kill them both, and he wasn't going to give it to him. L sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. I must keep my actions and words under check. He thought to himself, I can't let this go on.

"So, what's the deal in Britain?" Anna readjusted the topic adeptly. "Nothing I can't handle I hope?"

L also noted with sadness at Anna's change. She had gone straight back to that tool she wanted to be, as he knew, and almost hoped she would. Still, he took the change in topic gratefully, "Keep hoping Anna, you're going against one of my possible successors, Mello."

The assassin's expression darkened as she swallowed L's words. "I…had hoped that Mello and Near would be on our side…" she said slowly, hiding her astonishment. "Going by your description of them I wasn't really expecting any trouble."

L shrugged, "It's not that, Mello and Near are good kids, they're also after Kira and they are both very capable." He explained with a frown, "It's just that Mello lets his feelings run a lot, and he has very peculiar ways to go about getting what he wants. Right now, he's joined the mafia and is going to kidnap people on our side to threaten and acquire information."

"That's where I come in." Anna nodded, and licked her lips, "I go in, knock him out of his mind, keep him from interfering and at the same time save everything we've worked for."

L's eyes narrowed, "Right." He agreed, "But might I remind you that you're not allowed to kill anyone, least of all my successors?"

"Of course?" Anna nodded, a little too innocent and carefree.

L sighed, "To the point, try not to involve anyone innocent and don't 'knock him out' as you put it, because if you do I have no doubt that Mello will be very angry with you."

"I'm sooo scared." Anna murmured sarcastically.

"Good, you should be." L continued, "You'll need to join the mafia that Mello's in, since Mello haven't seen your face before you may keep your current appearance, but through the radios and cameras I will call you Wedy. I also suggest you change your accent and nationality for precautions. Are we clear?"

"Are you sure that Mello hasn't seen me? From what I recall I have been forced to show myself to the public during that case we had together."

"That was quite a few years ago, and no offense but you have changed since when you were sixteen." L simply replied, "Near might recognize you, but Mello isn't as attentive and doesn't go into my cases as much. The chances that he'll recognize you are very small."

"How small?" Anna asked.

"Miniscule." L answered, and after Anna nodded her approval he went on, "I would think that you would also need to probe to Mello that you're good enough to join him and his Mafia. A quick show off should do, though I go against actually defeating Mello in any kind of way, especially his intelligence. He'll try to get rid of you if you present to be a threat to is authority in any way."

Anna thought deeply for a while, almost going into a trance like state. "Seems like the tactics are fairly simple, similar to the one we use against Yagami Light." She concluded, "However, judging by your previous explanation of Mello's behavior it is unlikely that he will become a challenge and a babysitter."

"Precisely." L answered tonelessly, his eyes empty. "If you're found out, it is likely Mello's respect for me will dramatically decrease, causing him stress and creating danger to everyone. I can assure you he won't care about the reasons behind my actions." L raised his thumb to his mouth while wrapping the other arm around his knees, "Above all else Mello hates competition and lack of faith and trust. So taking on this role is like we're purposely putting ourselves on the "People I Hate "list for Mello.

Anna bit her lower lip and played with the blonde hair of her disguise. "It's absolutely necessary anyway." She nodded tensely.

"Yes." The detective confirmed.

The assassin suddenly laughed, her voice light, "Who do you think you're talking to?" she eyed L through her sunglasses, "If there are things I don't want known, they stay hidden." She put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, it'll be a while until you have to kiss your popularity goodbye, unless I badly miscalculate and Mello has a strange and twisted mind."

"You never know." L replied gently.

Smiling confidently, Anna stood up. This is one mission she will not fail, though she still missed the old tactics. These missions were much harder than the ones she had took on before, and all for one reason. She wasn't allowed to kill anyone, if she could, the problem would've been long solved. The girl sighed as she pushed the blood lust to a far corner of her mind. It's been a while since a thought like that came up, but she knew it'll never go away. "So, when do we leave for Britain?" she turned to the detective.

"I'm not going with you." L simply replied, "You leave as soon as school's done."

"Impossible." Anna said in a calm manner. "When I came here it was to make your safety a priority. It'll be a lot more difficult if I'm half way around the world."

L sighed and stared at her, he knew this would come up. "I apologize, but you can't do much for my safety. I for one don't see how even you can fend against a lethal weapon that can kill from long distances using a name and a face."

"Out of the question." Anna replied icily and transferred her gaze to the ground.

"On the contrary," L rose out of his seat and drew level to her eyes, "When I asked you to come it was not as a body guard but to help with the case. That is the term you have agreed to, is it not?"

"That was not my intention." The assassin grew annoyed.

"But it was mine." L countered harshly, then continued in a softer tone, "You have asked me to trust you many times, and I have. Now I ask that you have faith in me. I'm not the world's best detective for nothing."

Anna removed her sunglasses and slid her foot into a fighting stance, ignoring his plea for trust. "Shall we settle this the way we settle everything?"

L narrowed his eyes, but barely got his fist in front of his neck as Anna moved faster than the eye can see, locking him in another strangle hold and unconsciously closing the space between them. 'Enough child games Anna!' L thought, but the words were stuck at his throat. "You know you'll win." L murmured instead, irritation clear in his tone as he broke the hold and stepped away.

"It is kind of unfair." The assassin grinned, though beneath her mask she understood his thoughts. The smile disappeared from her face as she slid her sunglasses back into position. "I'll give you three days."

"A week." The detective responded, parrying the glare easily, "Then you're free to go."

"You're so selfish." Anna murmured and put the sunglasses back on, catching L's quick smile of victory.

"Moving on then." L continued, "Since Light might be present and I want to keep him in the dark the cameras will be stored in contacts so Light and the members of the police won't find out anything of importance even if they barge in on me."

"I remember those," Anna cocked her head, "Given the instruments I can build them myself. I have made some when I took microelectronics."

"Micro-electronics?" L looked puzzled, "I never knew you took lessons."

"Watari gave me some money before he sent me off to live with another family," Anna explained. "But eventually I ran off and took the lessons."

"Such as…"

"Karate, martial arts, Tai Kwon Do, gymnastics, weaponry, electronics, micro electronics, criminology, cultures and history, languages, biology, nano technology…the list goes on." Anna shrugged, "I can fight but that doesn't explain the experience I've got right?"

"Out of curiosity have you took aerospace technology and such? Like how to fly airplanes or helicopters." L asked, and pulled a thick manual from his pocket, handing it to Anna.

"Yeah, I have actually." Anna answered and took it, "Why?"

Sighing, L closed his eyes and again raised his thumb to his lips. "To be honest, I was hoping you took art."

"I took Makings of Poisons with Nature and Chemical Reactions." Anna answered, "They're similar aren't they?"

"If you say so," L shrugged. "At any rate, you're free from the obligations of your previous mission to Light, go prepare to leave for Britain at a moment's notice, and I want that book memorized by the time you leave."

"No problem." Anna replied as the detective walked away out of sight, then added in a slight whisper. "Maybe sending me back to Britain is his way of protecting himself."

The assassin sat back down and quietly thought to herself. All these years, she had never given a thought about how to protect herself. She was an assassin, everyone who came near her died. Then she worked with the FBI with a new identity, and all the criminals that she had her eyes on were in jail. No one ever got a scratch on her.

However, she was also dead back then, she created a fake arrogant persona to hide her fragile, frozen heart beneath, now the situation was different. There are people around who can see through her disguises, the shadows she used to hide in, are becoming harder and harder to find.

Flashback

Second floor…first door on the right…I thought to myself. For people like the FBI, their security is surprisingly low. Knocking twice, I entered the room.

"You must be Alice." A girl my around my age walked up to me, "I'm Stella, nice to meet you." She offered her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you…" I shook her hand lightly and walked in. She was to be my room mate for my training here? I thought coldly, this Stella doesn't seem very…tough. "Who else is on our team?"

"The guys, Logan and Tyler, I met them earlier." She answered enthusiastically, "We're going to be the best team, so let's work together."

"Really." I replied and threw my bags onto the free bed, "Don't count on me, I work alone."

Surprisingly, Stella didn't seem depressed or hurt by my words, which usually enraged most people. "You'll learn, even the best need people to work with." Stella smiled, "When I get to the top, I'll be able to work with the best." Her eyes had a weird shine I didn't recognize, but I decided to read more into it.

"Do you have someone in mind?"

She nodded, "I want to work as a full partner to the world's best detective L."

That guy? I thought. It was a few years ago when he's finally caught me, and I barely contained my shock when I recognized him as the kid who saved me from illegal human experiments back then. This girl wants to work with him? I laughed softly, "If you want to work with him, you better beat me first."

Stella raised an eyebrow, "You want to work with him too Alice?"

"I can never work with him." I replied with a smile. It was true, I'm an assassin and I've changed my identity so I can work here. There's no way L would work with me, unless he was pushed to his limits. "Unless he personally asks for my help, I want nothing to do with the guy." I added with a smile. "Still, I haven't seen you work yet, but if you can't even beat me, you have a long way to go."

Now my harsh words seemed to have reached her, and Stella frowned angrily, "You think you're good huh?" she smirked.

"We'll see." I shrugged. It's not that I didn't like her, but I needed to make everyone an enemy. It's the only way I can truly depend on myself. I didn't want to depend on other people, and I didn't want other people to depend on me. L was strange, the way he sat and the habits he had, like me, he was different; maybe that's why he didn't leave me to die. It was really his mistake though; he should've saved himself the trouble of depending on me to keep my promise. Even this girl before me, she seemed such fragile prey; she wouldn't stand a chance if I wanted to kill her.

The phone rang, calling me out of my thoughts as Stella took it. "Okay, we'll be right down." She nodded, then turned to me with a smile, "Let's show our skills on the obstacle course."

I grinned back; "Pleasure," was my reply.

0000000

"I'm Alice." I introduced myself to the guys.

"Logan." One of the American guys replied as he studied me. He was taller, and bigger. A smile played on my lips. Oh well, I thought with a smile that I kept to myself, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

"Tyler." The other blonde drew my attention, "Good to work with you."

"I work alone." I repeated my statement to Stella and smiled. "It is nice to meet you though."

"All introduced I see." A voice interrupted our conversation. "I'm your supervisor, Katherine."

I turned to the female cop. She didn't seem a challenge either, just like the rest of them. None of them had seen through my fake arrogant persona, especially not Katherine, she's the farthest of them all. The closest one was Stella, who wouldn't be bothered by my words at the beginning as if I was joking.

I look to the others, who looked at her with immense respect I couldn't understand. Why show such curtsey to someone who might not even deserve it? For me, the only one who deserves such respect was that detective who caught me, the rest of them aren't even worth my time.

"Now that we're done with introductions, let's start with the running. I'll start you easy, 10 kilometers." She pointed to the trail, and I followed the others, examining my surroundings as I went. It seemed to go through a rather rough bit of ups and downs, but nothing I can't handle. "After you're done with this we can move on to the obstacle course."

"Can we start now?" I asked impatiently.

"Alright, go!" she started the timer, and I started jogging by Stella's side.

"So Stella, guess I'll see you at the finish line." I smiled, and increased my pace until Stella, Logan, and Tyler were out of sight. With a grin, I kept my pace.

No need to be too hasty now, Anna. I reminded myself, taking what chances of silence I had. You still need to pay back the favors you owe that detective. "And what better ways to do that…" I whispered quietly to myself, "Than work in the department with his favorite partners the FBI?"

I ran through the trail quickly, it seemed like a child's sandbox compared to what I had experienced before. Being forced to run for hours while being drugged and beaten was a hundred times more difficult than this warm up run. The scenery blurred around me as I raced through it. I loved the thrill of competition, now that my instincts are no longer dulled by those drugs and my muscles pulsing at maximum. I felt true freedom.

Unconsciously, my thoughts drifted, to L again. It wasn't often I referred to him by his title, 'L', like I was uncomfortable using it. 'The detective' was what I called him in my head, but now I played with the name. Why L? I thought, the name does kind of suit him, being mysterious and all, but why would such a famous detective give me his name at all? Wouldn't it be dangerous? What if I told someone about him and what he looked like? Isn't he afraid of my betrayal?

I was quite confused, and when I examined my surroundings again, I realized that my pace had dropped considerably. I quickly increased it, even faster than I was going before. At the same time, I reinforced the barriers around my heart. I will not lose concentration again. I scolded myself. Losing concentration is the same as giving up your life.

My team mates arrived around ten minutes after I reached the finish. Though surprisingly, I was the one who got a lecture from Katherine. "I don't mind you being competitive, Alice." She said, "But remember that it's dangerous to go off on your own during a mission. If you're alone, you often will be captured and a liability, while with your teammates, you might have more chances of success. You-"

"With all due respect," I interrupted, "there won't be those situations because I work alone."

The four of them looked at me strangely. Clearly, I was not the teammate they wanted. I smiled, but inside I was screaming. It had to be this way, if I'm a danger to the people around me, then I have to make everyone an enemy.

Since then, I took on every second mission my team was assigned, and I had caught the culprit or murderer behind every case under a week. Stella, Logan, and Tyler and become my rival, though for each step they took I took ten.

There was one thought that supported my every improvement. After I pay back the favors I owe, I'll be free again.

End of Flashback

Her steps unconsciously carried Anna back to her apartment as she lost herself in her past. Laughing at the foolish ideas she had back then. Anna didn't bother to turn the lights on as she propped herself up on an elbow on the sofa, staring into the darkness, it made her feel strangely comfortable.

It's different now; freedom isn't what I seek anymore. Anna thought with a smile. After I pay back these favors, I really might be at a loss for life. Well, she laughed, if I'm still alive after I'm through with this. As strong as she physically maybe, she was still just another life.

Anna packed in the darkness. It didn't take her especially long since she never brought much when she traveled. Then her fingers picked up a piece of paper, and she read it without difficultly in the darkness. "How did this get all the way out here?" she murmured.

"_If you're in trouble, contact me here." _

He gave it to her at the hospital all those years ago after she was brutally shot three times by the person who lied to her and manipulated her. This was the piece of paper he secretly handed to her as he took her hand and left.

"_Why would you care so much?" _she had asked with irritation burning in her voice. After all, she was just another life in the sea of people around her.

_Just a life._

_Just alive._

_

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_

Author's notes: Come on guys! help me get over 100 reviews! Then i'll update! Muhahahahahaha!! Offer your reviews to Hotori!

I really found this Anna getting really soft and on my nerves...so in the next chapter i promise i'll have her flying a Fighting Jet. Okay?

Review please!!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Own Death Note Not

School started...already dying...worst start to the year EVER...

* * *

"Be careful when you're dealing with Mello." L said as he helped her onto the aircraft. 

"You be careful." Anna smiled back as Watari started the engines, and her hair fanned out around her, blowing in the wind. "Stay alive till I get back, L!"

The detective gave a rare smile, "Sure."

Unspoken words surged behind the simple conversation, but none of them spoke, until Anna, more talkative of the two, finally decided to break the silence.

"That's a promise!" Anna shouted over the deafening sound of the engines, and grasped the detectives pale hand, shaking twice in as L nodded, promising to stay alive. "Sure you don't want to come?" she asked one last time.

"A week, Anna," L let go of her hand and stepped back. "You agreed."

"And you agreed to stay alive, you're the King in the game of chess, don't forget it!" she yelled over the thunderous roars of the wind.

"Then what are you?" L wondered curiously, "My Queen?"

Anna laughed, "I'd say I'm the Back Bishop."

"Well Anna, I'm not the King," L smiled mysteriously; "I'm the White Knight."

"Alright then, Sir Knight, I'll see you later." Anna stepped in and strapped on her seat belt, while L closed the door. The air craft then took off into the skies, finally disappearing into the horizon after a few minutes.

Watari calmly stepped beside L. Looking up at the sky with him. "Do you think she'll be angry, Watari?"

The old man thought for a while, "Given the fact that we've sent her on an unpiloted aircraft into Britain without authorization? I think she'll be very angry indeed, you should prepare yourself, Ryuuzaki."

"I did give her that manual." L shrugged, and they both walked calmly into the building. Leaving Anna to find out about the surprise they had planned for her. After all, what's more exciting than being able to enter Britain being chased by the military?

000000000000000

Anna looked out the window, they were flying quite fast in these clouds, the moisture leaving tiny droplets on the window before the wind took it and flung it back. She took the manual from her pocket and glanced through it again. Why did L give her such an odd request anyway? She did memorize the manual; it was mainly about flying fighting jets, maneuvers, flight simulations and such. She had learnt it all before…but why…?

A few hours had past on the flight, and she was actually quite proud to be sitting in L's private aircraft, it was pretty, and she didn't have people seated all around her. Suddenly, the intercom beeped, and the L's face appeared on the monitor in front of the surprised girl. "Anna, I suggest you go to the cockpit." The detective mumbled with a thumb in his mouth.

"Why?" Anna asked, but unbuckled her seat belt anyway, "I thought Watari was-" her words were cut off as she noticed the smaller figure behind L. "Watari! Aren't you supposed to be piloting my plane??" the assassin exclaimed.

"Get to the cockpit; I'll talk to you there." L told her impatiently, and the monitor flickered off.

Quickly making her way to the cockpit, Anna seated herself in one of the two empty spots and turned on the monitor. As she thought, L was waiting. "I want a thorough explanation!" she grabbed the controls.

"Your aircraft, or mine, if you prefer, has been on auto pilot to Britain for the past few hours. To draw Mello's attention effectively I didn't really bother to tell the British government that you were going…in fact I alerted them to the fact that a strange aircraft is about to enter their territory." L explained, his eyes not looking at Anna but rather from the left to the right and back. "So you should get a warning…and maybe they'll send out a few planes to shoot you down…"

The assassin's face was bright red with anger. "I see now why you made me read the manual…" Anna seethed, "But you mistake this is a civilian aircraft! I don't have guns that I can fight with!"

"Wouldn't want casualties." L merely shrugged, "But if you press that big red button, it should be of help."

'Attention approaching aircraft. You are now entering British territory without permission.' The intercom beeped, 'Please alter your course, this is your first and only warning. We will resort to hostilities after two minutes of on course flying.'

Anna pressed the big red button without hesitation.

The aircraft almost shook to a stop as the hydraulic systems pumped, and in a matter of seconds the airplane had been reduced to a much smaller size. "L, it really makes me wonder what kind of person you are to have a civilian aircraft that transforms into a Fighter Jet." Anna sighed, but her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh well…bring it on."

"You have read the manual right?" L asked, almost worried.

"No, I haven't." Anna answered sarcastically, "That's exactly why I have confidence dodging these two missiles coming at me!"

"I'll leave you to your flying then." L nodded, and disappeared from the screen.

One hand still on the controls, Anna's fingers flied over the keyboard next to her. "Recognizing heat signatures…" she murmured, and a second later, the results popped up to meet her, "Dang, heat seekers." She murmured to herself as she recognized the types of missiles through the database. "Well, let's turn things around."

Anna maneuvered the jet easily, and in a quick 360 degree turn, raced toward the oncoming missiles. "Come on boys…" she smiled, "Send something else flying at me, I haven't felt this much excitement in years." As the missiles drew in, Anna readied her hands. There was no need for even that as Anna's eyes calculated the distance of the missiles, the two were on a colliding course, and a shattering bang sounded right before the nose of the plane. Smoke and dust escalating into the sky as Anna swerved the jet away safely away from the smoke, leaving the missiles and their remains dripping out of the sky like rain.

"Attention!" the voice beeped on her speakers, "Unknown aircraft, you will land at once!"

Taking one swift glance at her monitors, Anna realized that the British government were now sending Fighters to shoot her down. "It's so sad that I can't shoot in this." She sighed, "Let's take this to the next level." She quickly pulled out an oxygen mask from the open tab above her, strapping it on with one hand while keeping her course with the other. Anna also found the goggles without difficulty, and secured it to her face tightly. She would need it.

Then she found some rope from the emergency box beside her, quickly, she tied one end around her waist and the other around her seat. Next came the controls as she attached them to the left and right controls, holding one side in her left hand and the other in her mouth.

A surge of cold air entered the body of the aircraft as the window above Anna opened. The assassin took a deep breath through her nose and pulled out her gun with her right hand and climbed on top of the aircraft. This is a bit more challenging. Anna thought to herself. Bolts of light surged around her craft as the enemy opened fire. Anna jerked her left hand, tilting the jet out of the way, and took careful aim with her gun.

Bang

She smiled, and pulled on the rope with her teeth, keeping low to the aircraft as it swerved. These kinds of Fighters were familiar to her, having studied them in detail. She knew exactly where the fuel tanks were, and with that leaking, the pilots would have to settle down soon. Anna raised her right arm and aimed again, blasting hole after hole into the enemy fuel tanks.

The craft suddenly jerked beneath her feet as it barely dodged one of the attacks, the heat from the attack nearly knocking her into the air and sending the plane into a crazy frenzy of spins. Anna gritted her teeth as she steadied the plane once again. It was more difficult to control the airplane at this rate than she thought, as soon as both the enemy planes had twenty holes in their fuel tank, Anna pushed back on her footing and fell back into the cockpit.

"How was that?" Anna smirked and put her hands back on the controls and shrugged off the oxygen mask, not bothering to take the rope off. The pilots were clearly struggling with the leaking fuel, and the two planes swerved back to the airfield, the skies belonging to her once more.

Suddenly, another voice beeped onto her speakers. A different one, one that you can just tell didn't belong to the government. "Land at coordinates provided. We need to talk."

Anna immediately veered her course as a green dot beeped onto her radar screen. She pressed another button, "L, follow the last transmission, is it Mello?"

"I recognize his voice, it's Mello." L replied. "You caught his attention already, impressive."

"Can he read people like you?" Anna wondered, "I'd be in deep trouble if I'm caught off guard with some lousy act."

"I can't even read you." L sighed, "It's my first time not being able to see through someone."

Anna frowned, "But you've read my expressions before."

"I didn't read them." L averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head, "Those were guesses I made."

"You have accurate guesses."

"I usually do." L replied smugly, "Now I'm cutting out before we get within Mello's range." The screen flickered off.

000000000000000

That pilot's really something. Mello thought with a grim smile, to stand on the back of her aircraft and shoot at the fuel tanks. The bullet could've just as easily hit the other pilots in the head too; there was every opportunity to do so. Why would a person illegally enter Britain, and refuse to take human lives? Intriguing, especially the fact that L himself reported to Britain about the forbidden entry. That pilot was, he must say, a mystery indeed.

The plane landed smoothly on the ground, and Mello was even more surprised as a girl jumped from the cockpit. "Mello, nice to meet you." She removed her goggles and smiled at him. "What's with the surprised look?"

"Judging by your flying techniques I had assumed you were male." Mello explained, not bothering to hide his amusement, "Your name?"

Dang, I forgot to discuss that with L. "Alice." Anna replied with ease, using the name from my FBI days. "What do we need to talk about?"

Mello had a small smile playing on his lips while he studied the character called Alice. Then his eyes met hers, and they began to talk." "Why you came hurling illegally into Britain." Mello held her gaze

"To join the mafia, yours to be exact."

"That dramatic display?"

"To successfully draw your attention."

"Well done."

"Thank you."

"Why do you want to join me?"

"I'm a bored girl with a sense of adventure."

"I'm afraid I'm not satisfied with your answer."

"I know you're trying to catch Kira."

"You're a criminal?"

"I have a history."

"I see."

"Was the explanation satisfactory?"

"Fascinating."

"Thank you."

"But have you got what it takes to join me?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's a waste to throw away your life simply because you don't know what it takes."

"And judging by my display on top the jet?"

"Great balance, aim, and adaptation."

"Do I qualify?"

"If you don't, no one do."

"Then why the question?"

"I was simply enjoying the intelligent conversation."

"I expect it's the first you've had in a while."

The two stared at each other for a while more, surrounded by the others who had come with Mello and were now staring in awe. Mello was the first to crack, his smiled widened, and Anna shook his hand firmly, both of them grinning.

"Welcome to the Mafia Alice." Mello grinned, almost sincere, "We'll make a great team."

"Thrilled, and my entire pleasure." Anna replied warmly. "Let's catch Kira."

00000000000000000000

Light started at the television in disbelief. Using his resources Mikami and Takada Kiyomi, he had quickly gotten hold of the recording from space the epic battle as the lone fighter jet entered Britain's defenses. He was almost sure that his eyes were deceiving him. The genius had known since Anna had made that stupid excuse after school had ended.

Frustrated, Light opened his Death Note that he had Mikami send back to him. He had to make sure for himself that nothing went wrong with this one name. He scanned the page, murmuring himself as he did so. "Anna MacLeod, plane accident. 11:50 a.m. the day of her flight." But there she was…he couldn't be sure, but he swore it was her face he glanced on top of that lone jet.

"Impossible." He glared at the screen before him. It had to be this way; Anna had used a fake name. But what was her real name?

"You can do the eye trade anytime you know." Ryuk cackled.

"Quiet! Ryuk!" Light clutched his hair. The girl was with him for a while, she held dangerous information he might have not even knew she had. It's too dangerous to let her live. Yet…how could kill her? How?

Breathing loudly and troubled for the first time in days, Light turned to Misa, who stared wide eyed at him, a little scared. "Misa…" Light said a soothing voice, and stood up to settle her down on his seat. "Can you see her name?"

"Misa-Misa can't get a clear image of her face, and she's moving too fast anyway." Misa shook her head, "So sorry Light!"

Light sighed and pulled out his phone. "Mikami, can you go to Britain?"

"I would do anything for the will of Kami." The voice replied, "When would Kami like me to go?"

"As soon as possible." Light hissed, "Wait for the Death Note I'll send to you, then find the girl."

"Shall I kill her?"

"Ye-" Light caught himself as his felt a little jerk inside his mind. "No. Use her and get me the name of the detective. L"

"Anything else?"

"Tell Takada to start working." Light narrowed his eyes, it was time to turn on the pressure.

"It will be done according to Kami's will." Mikami replied, and Light turned off his phone.

"It had better be done according to Kami's will."

"Light does not want to kill the girl?" Misa frowned, "Why?"

Light smiled kindly at Misa, "She first deserves a bit of torture before I'll let her have the peace of death. She will pay for trying to ruin God's Kingdom, and our future."

* * *

Author's Note: GAH!! School started!! I had a sad first day...absolutely loathed it...ah well. Sorry that i have to keep saying this guys, i know it might get on your nerves, but please if you're reading this story for the first time or something, don't just add it to favorites and alert, please review, it gives me a lot of encouragement. I'd like to thank those who have continually given me support. (Sorry i won't get to all of you.)

White Alchemist Taya

pinguina

Loyal Subject

Akizichi-Jigoku Shoujo

Rambonata

Blueporint 90

Thank you guys and everyone else who have continually reviewed, it means much more to me than you think. I would've never gotten this far if it weren't for you guys.

Thank you to my friends: Akizichi- Jigoku Shoujo and Prince Utsuga, also known as Amy

L: Wow...never knew you could be grateful.

Light: It's such a surprise...for once we agree on something.

Hotori: You guys are so mean...sniff i am so grateful...sniff

Light: Don't cry, i'll still write ur name in my Death Note

Hotori: Not if i do it first!

Light/L: you have a death note??

Hotori: Yea...but i don't think Light's worth an eternity in the middle of nowhere so...

Light: I am so worth it.

Hotori/L: you wish.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the Characters

* * *

"Meet the team." Mello led her in with a hand on her shoulder. Looking to the six people seated lousily around the room, Anna nodded. "That's Matt." Mello gestured to the person leaning on the back of a sofa. "If you have questions, ask him." 

Anna studied the one called Matt; his hair was brown with hints or red, almost a bronze color, and his eyes were a warm brown. Matt waved back, a smile on his lips as he looked to Anna and nodded slightly.

"The others are Miguel, Adrian, Cole, Luke, and James." He pointed to each of them in turn, and they raised their hands in welcome, observing the newcomer closely. "This is Alice." He introduced, and then carefully whispered in her ear, "You might want to stay away from James, he's a little temperamental. I apologize ahead of time if he's of inconvenience."

Anna laughed a little as the guys almost looked disappointed. "Good to work with you boys." She allowed her gaze to rest upon each them for a second or two, memorizing their faces.

"Is she the one flying that jet?" the blonde called Miguel asked.

Mello grabbed a chocolate bar from the counter beside her and nodded. "Alice used the wonderful display of skill up there to draw our attention and took the chance to ask me to join this group." Mello explained as he took a bite of the chocolate, "Quite clearly she succeeded in this attempt. I must say it was clever." He looked to Anna.

Anna grinned smugly in return, "Thanks, but my intention here is to catch Kira, I hope you have some leads."

"Hm." Mello transferred his attention to Cole, "Have you established connection yet?"

Cole, looking more like an electrician than anything else, nodded with a wide smile. "The connection will be established by tomorrow."

"What's the connection for?" Anna looked to Cole with a frown.

"We're checking on the Japanese media." Mello answered instead, "But that will come into full effect by tomorrow, you've come at a good time. Everyone's dismissed tonight. James, take the first watch." He turned to Matt, "Show Alice to her room, there should be a spare at the end of the hallway on the second floor."

"Sure." Matt nodded, and gestured for Anna to follow him upstairs. Anna followed swiftly, taking her bags with one hand and bidding the others good bye with a wave.

"I hope Mello's told you about James." Matt whispered with a laugh as he led her upstairs.

"Yes, he have, James is on watch tonight for a reason I guess." Anna replied.

"Yes, he is." Matt opened the door with gently, the squeak from the hinges resonating in the empty hall. Anna smiled gratefully and stepped into the room. "Sorry if it's kind of dusty." Matt waited at the door, "It's only a spare even if we clean the place every two days to make it…able to support living things. We can help you clean it tomorrow if you'd like."

It was quite a big room, with curtains flapping at the tall windows, and most of the beautiful furniture still in place. Anna wasn't really expecting this level of hospitality, but she took notice not to let the shock show on her face. "No, it's fine. Thanks Matt."

Matt smiled, and Anna caught an unfamiliar glint in his eye. "So, "Alice," he stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind him, "L does not approve of Mello's idea of kidnapping people?"

Anna immediately knew there was no point in pretending, "How do you know this?" she narrowed her eyes.

"I thought so." Matt replied with a smug smile, "Anna, you are the assassin L caught all those years ago." He held up his hand quickly as Anna was about to interject. "No worries, Mello doesn't know. I might not be as smart as him but my observation skills are a hell of a lot better. And if I know, I reckon Near will also, though L probably let him in on the plan, the same way he let me in on the plan." He studied Anna's face, then, reading nothing but confusion there, added quietly with a smile, "My guess is that he wants someone to watch over you, not that you need it if you ask me, you seemed quite an impressive figure on that jet."

"He's worried about _me_?" Anna replied in disbelief, "That guy really doesn't understand who he's supposed to be worried about; he's supposed to keep himself alive, not me."

Matt shook his head, "I at as much a loss as you are. Even though me, Mello, and Near all spent some time with him at the orphanage, none of us could ever read him, not even Near. But hey, now you've got a friend on the inside."

"There's got to be something in it for you." Anna hissed.

"You're right." Matt frowned, turning serious. "I also disagree with Mello's plans." He sighed, his hands tightening into fists, "Of course, there's no way I can stand against Mello." He walked to the door, his back facing Anna, "It's good that there's someone who has to."

"Meaning me," Anna sighed.

"Yes." Matt walked over and took one of Anna's hands, "Oh, and L also told me to give you this." He dropped a glittering, diamond shaped locket in her hand, with a four tipped star into the intricate design. "Happy birthday."

"How did he-" Anna was astounded by the present. But Matt grinned as he helped clip it around her neck.

"He also knew you'd ask questions." The bronze haired boy replied as he gazed at the locket around her neck, "He found out from your FBI records quite a while ago." His eyes rose to meet hers, and Anna saw the playful spark in his brown orbs. "He also wanted me to tell you that he didn't fail to notice the meaning behind the date you have chosen."

"Thank you Matt." Anna whispered, grasping the icy locket in her fingers.

"That was from L, thank him, not me." Matt stepped closer. "I'm afraid all that I can offer you is my protection, as long as Mello doesn't know." He gave her a small smile. "Happy birthday, Alice," he winked, "good night." Then without another word, he walked to the door and shut it softly behind him, leaving Anna alone in the moonlight filled room.

The bed wasn't as dusty and everything else, and having quickly cleaned it, Anna flung her self on the sheets and took the locket from her neck, her fingers running over the silver that marked its smooth silver surface.

_Click._

Music filled the room as the locket sprang open, and Anna recognized instantly the deep, mystic melody. She realized with a shock, it was the same song he had played at the dance. The sway of the music shifted like the waves of the unending waters, the currents of the majestic ocean, the soulful cry of the mysterious and gentle sea. Anna closed her eyes and let go of her senses, to see if the sound could possible be as good as the first time she heard it. She opened her eyes again, no surprise, it cleansed her soul just like it did the first time.

The locket revealed a beautifully portrayed picture of the L and her, engaged in deep conversation at an orphanage. Anna smiled; a tear made its way down her face, and thudded onto the crystal glass. They were a lot younger back then; L probably took the picture from the security cameras. She let her finger run over the glass; wiping the tear from its surface and remembering the past. She had a smile on her face then, talking with that young anonymous boy. It was the first smile she showed in weeks, maybe months, maybe even years.

It was with difficulty that Anna took her eyes off the picture, and looked over to the back of the shell. To her expectations, there was a note, squeezed into the small delicate shape. Carefully, Anna picked it out with her fingers and unfolded the fragile piece of paper. And written there, in the most elegant script were two words:

_Stay Safe._

"It's just like him to always win the argument." The assassin touched the locket gently to her forehead, "I guess I can't really argue back." Swiftly Anna climbed into the soft bed, and drew the covers over her body. She took one last sad look at the picture, closed her eyes. The locket in her hand, still open, played the familiar soft melody that sent her off to her dreams.

000000000

"She didn't open it while you were there." L confirmed.

"That's right L." the distorted voice came through the letters Ma on the screen, "She was pleased with your present though."

"I was curious to see what her reaction was to the note I left." L murmured with a frown, "I wonder if she would be angry at me."

"What did you say?" Matt laughed.

"I told her to stay safe." L shrugged, "Of course, that's your job isn't it."

"Don't worry L." the sarcasm was clear in his voice, "I'll take good care of your girl."

"For the last time Matt, she is not my girl!" L hissed quietly through gritted teeth.

"James is on watch tonight." Matt changed the subject.

"And I want you on the lookout." L followed quickly, "I've seen the trouble the police had with that guy before he came around.

"He is a quite a troublemaker." Matt agreed, "But don't worry, he'll be on his best behavior. I'll go now, keep a watch on your girl."

"Thanks Matt." L sighed and turned off the speaker, it was useless arguing against that guy, he thought. L turned around, and opened the door to walk into the fray of police men.

_000000000000000_

Anna's eyes shot open at the sound, but it came again. _Thud, thud, thud. _Almost like footsteps. The assassin's eyes lit up, and her fingers tightened protectively around the locket as she clasped it over her neck. She dressed quickly, and slid out the door without a sound.

Still it came, the thudding of the footsteps, almost like it wanted to lead her somewhere. No, it did want to lead her somewhere. Anna's senses soared, exhilarated by the odd, eerie sound, it was another one of her favorite games, a hunt.

Like a ghost, she stalked the halls of the huge mansion, ignorant of the shifting of sheets coming from the rooms on the lower floor. They didn't matter, not when she had a target, Anna walked ever silently, though her speed grew, until she pushed open the front doors with a squeak, and stepped out into the chilling fresh night air. Her adrenaline pumped ever harder.

Stalking along its almost haunted walls, Anna continued to follow the thudding footsteps, until quite suddenly, they grew silent.

Confused? Anna stood up and examined her surroundings, when a dark figure leaped from above and landed gracefully in front of her, scaring her a little as it stood up, revealing the face of James.

_Uh oh._

"Hello Alice."

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as she found a hand over her mouth, and her heart raced as she carefully studied the face. James had quite handsome features, his eyes were a startling sapphire blue, and his skin was pale, contrasting beautifully against his dark, night black hair. His eyes also shone with intelligence, he was thrilled by the game, he loved it. It also showed that James was a good hunter, a very good hunter.

Anna's frozen fingers pried his fingers off her mouth. "James." She nodded quietly, "What did you want with me?"

"How was the game?" he ignored her question, a smile stretched on his face.

"Exhilarating, but pointless unless there's a reason you've called me out here." Anna answered calmly, staring into his eyes. "Just in case you didn't notice, it's rather cold and you're supposed to be on watch."

"Cold, is it?" he smirked, and in an instant his arms shot around her neck, trapping her against the wall. Anna rolled her eyes. The devilish grin came again, but froze as James noticed the locket around her neck.

His pale, long fingers touched the delicate pendant, "You weren't wearing it tonight…" he observed, "It's quite intricate, beautiful…suits you-" his words were cut off as Anna's hand grabbed his with quite the force, forcing shock onto his once smug face as she squeezed.

"Don't touch it." She hissed, and could almost see the pain show on his face. With a thud, James' hand fell back by his side, a little limp.

"Fine." James stepped back calmly, and looked up into the sky. "Your boyfriend gave it to you? It's quite the present."

"No." Anna answered simply.

"Really?" his eyes flickered back and his grin came again, turning from confusion to joy at his new discovery, "Good. I'm not interested in girls who already have a sweetheart."

"I'd prefer if you keep your distance anyway." Anna shot back icily.

"But can you fend me off?" James laughed and threw his arms wide, "As you probably already know, I'm a good hunter, I live for the game."

Cold air blew around them, ruffling Anna's hair, "I'm trying my best to not cause any casualties. You're not as good a hunter as you think, a good hunter knows when he meets an impossible prey and stops wasting his time." She retorted. "You are a clueless predator stumbling around the woods, stalking something that'll never be yours." At this point Anna smiled, "You have an especially bad sense too, because you're not the only predator around here. I'm not about to sit there and be the prey you want to swallow. I'm a hunter too, and I take pride in it."

"All the more challenge," James laughed, not willing to back off. "Not to mention an even sweeter victory."

"Enough small talk," Anna snapped, "Leave me alone, or I will make you regret it for the rest of your life."

"If I say no?" James whispered, his breath warm by her ear.

"I'll take your arm first." Before the words left her mouth, James felt a jerk on his arm, and found Anna gone, suddenly behind him, and jerked his arm behind his back. "I'll say it one more time. Do not get in my way." Anna hissed.

"Tough girl." James frowned, then pain shot up his arm as she bent it further, threatening to break it as easily as snapping a twig.

"James, didn't Mello warn you?" another voice interrupted the conversation. "It's really a bad habit you know. One of the only reasons we don't take in girls…unless they're tough, like Alice."

Angry eyes flashed, and Anna let go of James' arm, recognizing Matt's voice. James glared at Matt, furious, but Matt looked back with equal intensity. "It's none of your business Matt." James hissed, the tone velvet in his anger.

"On the contrary, Mello told me to watch out for the girl." Matt said steely, though he looked quite calm and unconcerned.

"Do I really look like I can't take care of myself?" Anna rolled her eyes, "Stop underestimating me before I beat all of you to a pulp."

"Whatever." James retorted furiously before stalking silently away. "This is ridiculous."

Anna glared at his disappearing figure, and then turned to Matt. "I guess I should say thanks, but I really would've been okay by myself."

"I was merely following orders." Matt shrugged with a sly smile, "Good night Alice." He turned and slipped into the darkness.

_Aaaaaaaachoo!!_ Anna sniffed, "Sure…you're doing a great job…" she walked hastily back up the stairs and into her room, drawing the covers over herself. "Great. Now I've got a cold."

* * *

Author's NOte: Sorry bout the late update, there was a lot of things in this chapter i changed, and changed, and changed. Hope you like it!

Also cause of school...i can't write as much...sry.

Now it's simply to the purple button you go and review!! It'll make me update faster, that's a fact.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: NOt owning death note

* * *

"Mello! You better come look at this!" Cole exclaimed, as Mello took the stairs three at once. Jumping over the couch and seated himself comfortably, seriousness clouding his face.

"Takada Kiyomi." Anna explained quickly, "Kira's spokesperson."

"And the sweetest start to our operation." Mello smiled casually. "What's her schedule?" he nodded to Cole.

"She's coming to a conference in Britain. It's perfect, the place is even in our own city!" Cole exclaimed excitedly, and Mello smiled deviously again. "She's gets off after 4, it could easily be done with a distraction. After all, one of the bodyguards is working with Near."

"Thank you Cole." Mello stood up almost majestic by his presence. "The operation starts today. Matt, you're the best driver, can you be the distraction?"

"Sure. I can-" Matt started, but was cut off as Anna interrupted fiercely.

"No!" she objected firmly, "Mello, you have to think about this, there are so many ways it could go wrong. There are too many possible situations, in a lot of which many of us here could die!"

Mello sighed, "I work with the mafia Alice, what do you expect? Risks must be taken, and all of us here have learned to adapt to the situation just like you have. Some trust in them please." he regarded her eyes fiercely with his own, "Also, in this group, you are to support me. I lead this mafia, I make the decisions, and I have confidence in my decisions. I'm not leader for nothing, and everyone here knows it perfectly. What do you think?"

"I think it's a waste to throw away your life simply because you don't know what it takes." Anna repeated his words.

Mello sighed again, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I must warn you that I don't like it when people challenge my authority."

"And I must voice my opinion as well." Anna replied with equal ferocity, "It's pointless to risk lives for a mission that doesn't have much chance of success. These people trust you Mello, are you willing to betray their trust and lead them into death while a better solution could be acquired?"

"You're lucky you're a girl." Mello fumed, and stepped forward until their faces were inches from each other, "As it is…I advise you to watch your mouth…" the blonde boy hissed.

"Mello." Miguel put a hand on his shoulder, and Mello eased off. "Maybe she's right, it is one of the most dangerous things we've ever attempted, considering that we're going up against Kira. Maybe we should discuss this."

Mello shook angrily, his hands balled into fists. "Fine, let's take a vote." He looked around at the people he's been working with forever. Alice is wrong. He thought, if she thinks I'm going to let any of them die for nothing, she's deadly wrong. "Alice?" he glared at her.

"I'm against it." Anna replied calmly.

"Fine." Mello turned impatiently to the next person, "Cole?"

"Oh yeah!" Cole replied enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Luke?"

"It'll work out." Luke smiled back, though a little worried.

"Miguel?"

"I think we should listen to Alice. It's not that good an idea."

Mello frowned, "Matt?"

"You're the boss Mello." Matt simply replied. "I'll do as you say."

"Adrian?"

"Not such a good idea." Adrian sighed. "It's very risky."

"James?" Mello looked to the last person in the room. Anna desperately wished she'd been better behaved. After all, James is the only person now who can pull the votes to a tie on her side. Otherwise…Mello gets the win.

"I think it's a dumb idea." James raised his eyes to meet Mello, the switched to Anna as the corner of his mouth pulled into a crooked grin. "But I think it'll work out alright."

"Five votes to three then." Mello turned his attention back to Anna, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Please listen to me." Anna begged, "Someone will die out there. Your operation might cause Kira to be even more ruthless. Think of the things he'll do!"

"We've been thorough this, the majority agrees." Mello looked around him, "And the ones who don't want to work in this operation don't have to. Miguel and Adrian can stay here with you."

"But how can you degrade yourself to Kira's level?" Anna questioned furiously. She can't fail this. If worse comes to show, she'll have to knock them all out, though it won't seem possible without a few bruises herself. Even if Matt decides to help her out, though it'll be risky to count on the bronze haired boy's help.

"Kira's level?" Mello laughed, "I'm trying to catch Kira here. Everyone is doing whatever they can to catch him. I just have my own unique way to help society is all." He looked into Anna's eyes, "It's clear that you've never been in a mafia Alice." He whispered, "But let me assure you that when you're in such a group, you make the most of it."

"But-"

What is with this girl? Mello thought in frustration. Why does she oppose so much to the idea of kidnapping Kira's spokesperson? _Unless…_Yes… That has to be it. Mello's eyes gleamed, could she possibly be a follower of Kira sent as a spy? Is what I'm trying to do interfering with Kira's plans? Why else would she be trying so hard to get in my way? But if that is the case…then I have no choice but to kill her…but no so that Kira will notice…

"Enough." Mello sighed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts "There's clearly no end to your rebellion. It's a wonder why I even keep you in the group." He turned to Matt, "You're our fastest driver Matt, so we'll use you to distract the police and Takada's bodyguards. Cole will accompany you after you make your escape to a safe distance, just in case your car is damaged. I will personally take Takada."

"Gotcha!" Cole smiled, his eyes gleaming as he looked upon Mello like some kind of idol.

"Mm." Matt simply nodded.

"Wait!" Anna tried one last time. "Let me take Matt's place."

_Perfect…_

Mello faked a confused face, "Now you want to be in it?"

"Yes, if there are any lives being risked, I will risk mine as well." Anna replied. This is the only way, she thought. I can't let Matt die, he never was taking part in any of this. Besides, maybe I can stop them…

Mello smirked, "But can you drive?"

"I piloted a fighter jet!" Anna exclaimed, "Of course I can drive!"

"Then get ready." Mello followed with a smile, "We leave in three hours."

Anna sprinted up the stairs and pulled her phone out of her pocket, "Ryuuzaki, I have a report to make." She ran to the other side, and flipped on her laptop, the letter L immediately in place.

"There's no need." The distorted voice came through. "I've seen the situation from your eyes and I've accessed the situation."

"So what do we do? I can't let him capture the spokesperson." Anna sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

"You might've angered Mello too early, but there was no other option I suppose. Not with him so determined."

"You've seen Mello from my contacts, I'm going to go on the kidnapping mission with him, and try to take Takada from him." Anna reasoned quickly.

"You're acting as the decoy, most dangerous part of the operation." L said, disapproval in his voice, but then his tone turned lighter as he added, "It's a waste of time to argue with you anyway, I trust your judgment, just be careful, nothing is really as it seems."

Anna smiled gratefully. "I'll make you proud." She said confidently, "Oh, and I loved your present, thanks so much."

"Does that mean you forgive me for sending you to Britain like that?"

"Of course." Anna answered cheerfully, "Besides, it was fun."

L scratched the back of his head and frowned deeply, "It seems I can't refrain from saying this, so I better make it to its full effect."

"What?" Anna tilted her head to one side, confused.

"This is an order." L started seriously, "Should the situation threaten your life, I order you to run. We are not negotiating, I am not asking you for a favor, this is an order, do you understand me?"

"What are you thinking? Please tell me." Anna sighed, "You let those 12 FBI agents die, you used Lind. L. Taylor and sacrificed him, criminals die everyday and you use their deaths for information. No matter whose life was threatened, you were always indifferent. What is different now?"

L's eyes widened in astonishment, then he controlled himself. She's right after all, he thought, I did let them die. "It's different because now I am threatened." he replied passively, his face grave. "If you die, my life is forfeit."

"Is that what I am to you, a shield?" Anna questioned.

"What is it that you want to be?" L asked; traces of frustration clear through his voice.

Anna suppressed a sigh and stood up, "Nothing, this is enough."

"Good, then stay alive for me." L's distorted voice sounded one more time, and beeped out.

Anna packed quickly and in silence. "Just a shield…" she whispered to herself, "If I'm just a shield…then what was the present for?" but she did not want the answer. "It's enough…it's just what I've always wanted…to pay back the favors I owe…" she pulled on her boots and slid the dagger into place, then touched the locket at her neck. "If all I wanted to be was a pawn…" she breathed silently, "If my only reason for being here is to pay back the favors I owe…then…"

A knock came at the door, and Anna turned to see Matt stepping through the door. "Sorry about earlier, I can't go against Mello, you know that."

"It's okay Matt, I understand."

"I know why you volunteered to take my place." Matt went on, "I'm just a bystander, I wasn't involved in this mess, following L's orders, you can't let me die, is that right?"

"It bothers me that Mello's the boss even though you're this smart." Anna smiled.

"Just saying," Matt shrugged, "that L would probably be a lot more concerned over your death than mine."

Anna chuckled lightly, "That guy's only ever concerned about himself."

"I can't believe you even think like that." Matt's eyes narrowed, their fierceness almost shocking Anna, "If you think like that in you don't know L at all, and I have no idea why he should be the least concerned about you."

Anna stood up and shrugged, "Me too, I have no idea either."

"L's actions are quite strange." Matt sighed, exasperated, "I can't imagine what he's thinking, especially after what he made you promise…"

"That I won't kill anybody, yeah I know." Anna continued his words, confused and frustrated at their meaning. "It's almost suicide for me to accept, I don't even know what's going on in his head when asked. I kind of determined that it probably doesn't matter whether I live or die on the mission, it was the only possible explanation, and now it's like I'm made of glass…it's really confusing.

"I can't say anything for him." Matt warned, "It's just what I think after talking to him for a few times. But if it were up to me to decide, I'd say L has finally developed a weak spot."

"If that's the case, then I…for the first time, have a weakness too." Anna looked out into the day, lost in her thoughts.

Matt stepped forward, "I can't go against Mello, but L is one of the people who rescued me out of the dark pit that used to be my life. I really don't care what happens to you, Anna, but as atonement to him, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep you alive. So hurry up and put these on, I'll wait for you downstairs." He handed her an outfit. "Don't disappoint L."

00000000000000000000

L's spending more and more time with himself than ever. Light thought as the detective re-entered the room. What is it that he's hiding? "L." he called, and the dark haired detective regarded him with haunting eyes.

"Yes, Light kun?"

"It seems that Kira's spokesperson Takada Kiyomi is going to London for a meeting." Light's gaze swiftly glanced at the computer and back, "Have you been informed?"

"Yes, Light kun I have." L replied aimlessly, "It's being taken care of."

"How?" he stood up and faced L, "The others and I have realized that you're spending more and more time by yourself in that room. What do you do in there?" he questioned.

"I work on the case," was L's simple reply.

"I'm guessing you don't trust us enough to share your information?" Light challenged.

"Oh, I trust them completely." L shrugged and looked to the other police officers. "It's only you I have a problem with." Silently, the detective walked past Light and regarded him again with his deep onyx eyes, "I doubt you, Light kun. I have absolutely no problem bringing the others into that room, except for the fact that they might accidentally let something slip that'll cause the death of me and many others. The only reason you're here at all is because I need to keep an eye on you."

"You're crossing the line." Light hissed.

"Not at all, the chances of you being Kira and steadily rising," he sat down in front of Light's laptop, "Look at this, breaking into Britain on a fighter jet…what kind of things are you studying? Light kun?"

"I figured it a coincidence, with Takada's entry into London a mere day after it was broken into by a person on a fighter jet." Light smirked, and pressed a few buttons on the laptop, showing the report on screen. The fighter jet buzzed around from one side to the other, but, to L's relief, too fast to capture the pilot's face.

"Interesting." L stated calmly.

"I don't think you sent that person L." Light said collectively, "You after all, wouldn't need to break in to the country; you're the most powerful detective in the world. However, wouldn't there be a high chance that Kira sent her in preparation for his spokesperson, as well as to grab the authorities' attention?"

L tensed immediately, but collected his thoughts together as he thought it all out. He can't believe he missed this…with Anna's acting, it would be impossible for Mello to figure out she's working for him…but if by accident he recognizes her as someone who works for Kira…he realized with a sickening thought…

_He'd try to get rid of her…_

_He would kill her._

"Perhaps." L closed his eyes. "Good work." With that, he simply disappeared again into the room from which he came.

"Wedy." L flipped on his laptop and typed in instructions at top speed.

"This is not the best time." The voice replied huskily from the other side, breathing hard. L's eyes hardened, and the screen flickered on, revealing the world through Anna's eyes.

Mello was in front of her, a gun in his hand and Takada by his side, though, curiously, the gun was pointed at him…at Anna.

"Give her to me!" Anna commanded, and another gun appeared from the bottom of the screen, Anna obviously holding it herself. "You can't do this."

The blonde smirked, and L's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't think so Alice." He said smoothly, "I will keep her safe." He lied, "You will not take her, now get back in that car, I don't want to waste a talent like you."

L watched intensely, but a click behind him told him that he had left the door unlocked, and, hearing the commotion, Light and the rest of the police force stepped in one by one to witness his conversation. The detective sighed, but made no move to get them out, he merely stared at the screen, anxious, scared.

The smoke was thick around them, and voices could be heard shouting from everywhere. But as thick as it was, it was beginning to dissipate; soon, both Anna and Mello would be in danger again.

"Fine," was Anna's only reply. With startling aim she fired the gun, and the bullet made its impact through Mello's hair, shattering a small area of the wall behind him. Mello grimaced and touched his cheek, where the bullet has scratched.

"Traitor…" he hissed, and fired his own gun multiple times. The smoke was getting thinner and thinner, and Anna quickly dived into the car just as a bullet shot past her ear.

"Mello don't!" She yelled desperately.

"You better run!" Mello whispered dangerously, and got on his bike, disappearing into the smoke. Anna followed quickly, and soon the two were on the open road, dodging through the crowding cars at incredible speed.

"Directions, Ryuuzaki." Anna hissed through the computer as another bullet shot through the back window, narrowly missing her neck. Takada's bodyguards were here as well it seems.

L's fingers flied, "Follow him to the second intersection, then turn left, there's a barricade ahead on the bridge and you won't make it." He read the map clearly, and Anna nodded in indication.

"L what is this?" Light asked furiously, "That's-"

"Wedy."

"No that's not," Light replied viciously. "Look at that hair. Wedy has blonde hair, that's Anna; you used her to try to catch me didn't you?"

"It's just like you to notice details Light." L turned around, tearing his eyes off the screen, "It doesn't really matter, I intended to tell you anyways. Yes, I used Anna against you, yes, I made her play with your feelings, yes, I tried to use her to make you spill your secrets. Are you satisfied?"

"You're sick."

"I regret doing that to her." L turned back to his computer. "It was a hard choice."

Light fumed, "How about how I feel?"

"Indifferent," was L's steely reply. "And as much as you want to leave the room I must insist that you stay. So I can keep an eye on you…Kira."

"I am not Kira!" Light stated loudly.

"L! I- I think you're going to far!" another voice interrupted hesitantly, it was Matsuda. "I believe Light-kun is not Kira, just look at all the things he's done for the case! He researched, tracked down files, wrote theories…all while you were in here staring at your computer!"

"I believe Light kun is innocent as well." Aizawa agreed, "L, how could you use such a way to…"

"L!" the voice from the computer caught L's attention. Anna was driving fast, the streets blurring on the screen at the speed. L's eyes flashed in search for the problem, then he saw it, a silver truck stuck by Anna's side, blocking her from the left turn.

"James! No, please!" Anna begged the driver of the truck.

"Mello's orders," he shrugged, his eyes almost regretful, "Sorry girl, but you'll have to be erased."

L watched in horror. The bridge was blockaded by Takada Kiyomi's bodyguards, and she'll be trapped between them and her pursuers. Mello, of course, had taken the last possible turn from the bridge, leaving James to block Anna's route. Light was right. Mello had taken into assumption that Anna was a spy from Kira, and needed her erased. So he had done just that.

Anna jerked her car one more time against James', but gained no ground. James looked at her with pity one last time, and pushed her over the edge and onto the bridge. "Sorry." He said, then turned around and shot away into the distance.

The car bumped along the edge of the bridge, spinning out of control. And as Anna finally wrenched it to a stop, it was too late. She was trapped on the bridge, with enemies in front and behind, and beside her, to the left and the right, laid the raging waters.

L turned his face away from the screen towards the policemen. All of them, including Light, were dead focused on the screen now, their previous argument forgotten. Finally, Yagami Soichiro spoke, "L…is that girl…"

"I don't know." L admitted, and turned his attention back to the screen, Anna was panting hard, nervousness for once showing in her expression.

"Anna, calm down." L murmured soothingly, "Take a look at your surroundings." The screen moved from the left to the right slowly, and L counted. "13 bodyguards." He whispered, "Anna, can you fight all 13 of them at once?"

"Fight?" Anna laughed, her voice was broken and quiet, "You haven't noticed they each have 2 hand guns. They'll shoot me, not fight me. Even if I could fight them…I won't be able to get out without…never mind."

As if fulfilling a prophecy, one of the bodyguards yelled, "Come out with your hands up!"

The assassin took two deep breathes. "L?"

"Do as they say." L encouraged, "and-"

Light stepped forward bent so he could speak, "Anna? Take the river, you have to jump off the bridge."

"Light?" Anna's hand hesitated on the door handle. "If I can, I would've already." She answered, it was true.

"What do you mean?" L interrupted.

"I can't swim."

"What??" Light and L exclaimed in unison.

"It's called Hydrophobia I believe…" Anna sighed, "I'm fine if I had equipment…but just the mere thought of being trapped with out oxygen…" her voice trailed off. Then the screen blurred as Anna shook her head. "Never mind, don't worry." she said, more to herself than the others. "I'll find a way out." Opening the car's door, Anna stepped into enemy territory.

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Author's Note: OOOO something bad's happening...stay with me to find out what happens!! In the mean time, i would really like to know how i did on this particular chapter, it's not that hard, review!!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Not owning death note, and the only character i do own (Anna) is getting slaughtered...sigh...

Oh right, i dont' the scene either, you know, the scene where Matt gets shot to death

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"I don't suppose we can come into an agreement?" Anna said coolly as all 26 pistols fell on her. "I can help you get Takada Kiyomi back."

One of the laughed, "That's a pointless argument; anyone who goes against Kira's will dies anyway. It makes no difference."

"But I'm innocent." Anna changed her view, "I was forced into doing this. Kira will take your lives for killing someone innocent, someone like me."

"Pointless." The same person said. "Kira is justice. He will see you dead."

"I don't suppose I can wait for him to kill me instead?" Anna was running out of options.

"No." the guns clicked.

"Fine," Anna side stepped out of the way just as the first of the bullets were shot. Quickly she pulled out her gun, shooting a satisfying bullet into the man's shoulder. However, this act of defiance only made them more quickly to shoot. The next bullets came in a blur, and Anna could barely see them, must less dodge them, three bullets thudded into her right arm, and Anna wince as her fingers unwillingly loosened, dropping her weapon.

Thick, red liquid pooled the ground at incredible speed.

"This is not working." Anna hissed to L, "I can't even get close to them."

"Anna…you're not unleashing your full potential, I can see that." A frustrated voice came from her earpiece, "Why? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No." Anna sighed and closed her eyes, "I'm trying to keep them alive, as I promised you."

"You what?" L growled, "You-"

"You've made your decision L. I keep my promise. They will live, even if I die." She smiled, "Of course, I'll do my best to stay alive."

The rain of bullets came again, and Anna moved quickly, training her eyes on each one and dodging only at the last minute, her limp right arm she used as a shield, and as the leader signaled them to stop, five more bullets were embedded into her arm.

"This time I won't let them stop." The leader warned her, "Any last words?"

"No." Anna raised her hands to protect her face, which twisted in pain at the movement of her right arm. Her amber eyes blazed like fire, making a final stand against the slaughter.

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Matt's eyes flickered uneasily from side to side, observing the people around him. Everyone was present, including Takada Kiyomi. Mello had come back safely, so had Cole and James, but where was Anna?

Sighing, Matt drew up his courage and faced Mello. "Where's Alice?"

"I don't know." The blonde replied carelessly, "She should be back soon." Mello shrugged, and turned to walk away.

Sensing something was amiss, Matt followed. "Where is she Mello?" he pressed, "Don't tell me you don't know, I know you never anything slip."

Mello turned around and glared furiously, but Matt was the one he trusted the most. Sighing, Mello frowned "Alice had to be erased. I had reason to believe she worked for Kira."

"What?" Matt exclaimed with horror, drawing the attention of the other's around him. "Alice? Working for Kira? That's insane!"

Mello's frown instinctively deepened, "What do you mean? Haven't you been observing how she rebelled against me to protect Kira's spokesperson?"

Matt ran his hand through his brown hair, and then jumped onto his bike, "Alice is not her name, and it's Anna. She's working for L you idiot!" With a last, ferocious look shot towards Mello, Matt hissed, "Where is she?"

Mello's eyes widened in surprise as he seemed shocked out of his mind. "She worked for L?"

Adrian silently walked up beside Mello and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Alice is at the bridge, that's where James trapped her."

"Thanks." Matt nodded, and sped away on his bike.

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The first of the bullets hit her squarely in the stomach, and she doubled over, breathing heavily. One by one, the others followed, thudding into her body like rain. Pain shot through her system, and Anna heard the sickening crack of bones all over as the mist of red liquid enveloped her. She panted heavily as a stray bullet caught her hand, throwing it against her face. The thick sticky liquid covered her, soaked through her clothes, and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"_Just let it go…close your eyes…"_

She had never heard a sweeter voice speak from her subconscious.

"No…" she whispered to herself as another bullet forced itself through her shoulder, jerking her arm backwards in a painful angle.

"_Shh…" _The sweet voice murmured quietly, "_Just let go. It'll be over soon…all over."_

"_No Anna, keep fighting." _Another voice encouraged, "_Don't give in."_

"Who are you?" Anna murmured as she felt her knees grow weak beneath her, the pain had numbed her body, she could only feel the impact as bullets continued to thud into her. But she was tired…she didn't want to fight anymore, her arms were heavy, and they could no longer keep up the shield that protected her face.

"_That's right…" _The beautiful voice practically sang; the melody sweet. _"Come on sweetheart, it's time to go home."_

"_No Anna! You must fight it! Your time has not come!"_ The encouraging voice begged, but it was fading along with her desperation to live.

Anna smiled as her heavy eyelids drooped, her body ached. "But I don't want to fight anymore…I want to sleep."

"_Then sleep…" _the voice from her subconscious was sickeningly sweet, _"Let nothing disturb you from your long awaited slumber."_

"_No Anna! Please!" _the other voice pleaded, _"Live on! Open your eyes!!"_

"Get up!!" L's voice blasted into her ears, "You will not give up this fight, do you hear me? Now stand Anna!"

Anna's eyes shot open as she watched one of the bullets race past the others, aiming at the left side of her chest. She twisted her body to one side, and the bullet missed her heart by inches, instead striking itself on one of her ribs. Then the metallic taste rushed into her mouth, she heard the crack, and her next breath did not come.

The bullet and broken one of her ribs, and forced its point into her lung tissue.

Her arms fell limply to her side, and a moment later, she herself followed the same fashion. Anna's senses roared, delivering the pain to all corners of her body. Beneath her skin, the concrete was heavenly cool and comforting. She opened her eyes once more, and glanced up at the sky.

Rain fell. Swiftly and silently making their way from heaven to earth, then they splattered onto her body, washing away the blood and the dirt.

_Were the angels crying? _She thought with a dim laugh.

"Get up, please." L's soft voice murmured into her ear. Then came the part she's been dreading to hear, "Get up, if you can."

_If? If I can? He doubts me. _

"Get up." Something physically nudged her, and Anna glared at one of the bodyguards who had dared approach her. "She's alive." He murmured to the other who drew close.

"Hold her." Someone commanded, and Anna managed a groan as the two men seized her arms and dragged her roughly to her feet.

_Click_

The touch of the metal was soothingly composed and cruel. Anna opened her eyes once more, the amber irises burning. Her gaze unwaveringly met the barrel of the gun pointed at her forehead. . She smiled sympathetically at him, "You'll kill me," it was not a question.

"You pity me?" her foe hissed quietly with amazement.

Sadly, Anna nodded with closed eyes and waited for death.

"Yes, she pities you, and so do I." a voice came clearly.

Anna's eyes flared open with hope as she watched a bullet bury itself into her opponent's gun arm, making him drop his gun. "Matt…"

Gunfire once again erupted, but was silenced quickly as a thick gas enveloped the bridge. Anna grinned as one of her captors received a blow to the face, while the other got knocked out by the butt of a gun.

"Matt."

"Anna." Strong hands grabbed hers, "Good to see I made it in time."

"Where're we going?" Anna asked as Matt swung her into his arms, the smoke was dissolving; soon, they would be surrounded.

"If you're not too weak, we might have a chance…but with you like this…" Matt dropped her to her feet beside the railing, helping her support herself with his hands. "I need to fight."

The smoke was barely a mist now, and in the chaos, Anna realized that ten of the bodyguards still remained. A revolting thought built up surely inside her mind. It was hopeless, Matt would never win. But Matt raised his gun and pointed it at them, ready to fire if they did.

"Thank you Matt." Anna said sincerely through her burning lungs.

"You can thank me after we get out of here." Matt flashed a smile, confident.

"Thank you Matt, but I won't let you stay." Anna's eyes turned hard. "Leave."

Matt anticipated this and grinned. "No."

Then the gun shots came.

"_If only if you had your freedom…" _The sweet voice sighed disgustedly in her subconscious, _"If only you could kill them all. Look at yourself, weak, pathetic. You're a caged eagle, a lamb to the slaughter." _Sighing again, the voice went on as it looked at the scene through her eyes, _"That detective really put a leash on you."_

Anna pushed the sweet, ghastly voice out of her head. Her lungs burned as her breathe came in short gasps, and her body throbbed at the violent waves of pain. "This is some major flaw in your plan L…" she whispered with difficulty, but there was no reply from the detective. "Help me…" the assassin finally pleaded.

There was still no reply, L's voice was gone; he had left death to claim her.

_Fine…then I shall embrace death with open arms, _Anna thought darkly.

"Watch out!" Matt suddenly brought her back to reality, and Anna's eyes saw clearly as he gave her a gentle shove out of the way of the bullet. But Anna did not corporate; her muscles froze as she welcomed death. The impact of the bullet propelled her over the rail and into the dark rushing waters below.

Anna's head drooped, and a silver glint caught her eye.

_Stay safe…_

Anna's vision was getting blurry, but she dimly saw fingers close themselves around a silver string…no…it was a chain, the chain of her locket, and she felt the pressure as the chain cut agonizingly into her flesh. Then tearing it self free, the silver light blinked once more, and disappeared into the air.

"Anna…" the voice came from her ears in a hushed whisper, "I'm sorry."

Her eyes met the water, and like a knife, fear tore itself into her heart, "L…you knew."

The water punched the air out of her lungs in a fraction of a second, the icy water cutting into her like blades. Her limbs numb, Anna had no will to fight the current, until another splash reached her ears. Matt was swimming rapidly in her direction. "Matt!" she forced herself to swim, but at the glances of the rushing liquid around her, her will perished. Anna screamed, her fears driving her senses in a crazy frenzy.

"Hold on!" Warm solid hands grasped hers as Matt tried to pull her towards him. "Think of something else Anna, but keep awake!"

It was easier said than done. The rushing current pulled and lashed out with all its fury, wanting to claim its unfortunate prey. Anna squeezed her eyes shut as she grasped desperately for life. The waves came over her, threatening to pull her under, then the crest of the waves rose, and smashed over her head, Anna spat furiously as the water clogged her throat and choked her. Then as she broke the surface again, she heard something…music…

Her eyes snapped open.

Fear raked its claws across the barriers she'd build and tore into wake. Panicking, Anna dug her fingers into the hand that held hers, and felt Matt's hand flinch away in pain. "No!" she heard him shout, but that was the last of sounds she heard as she felt the current, the fear, completely take control.

_If only I can tell them where I am…_

Her thought was broken by yet another rising of water, and as it pulled her under, Anna's last conscious will to live slipped with the air bubbles that escaped easily through her numb lips. "L…" she mouthed, but no words came, _Help me…_the assassin once again uttered the plea, but there was no smile to reassure her, no hand that reached out to her, no hope that was offered to her. The water was icy as it burned down her throat and sealed her airway, Anna looked up at the light that shone, just meters above her… "L." she mouthed again as the image of the pale, dark haired detective rose behind her eyelids. She opened her eyes, and watched as the last bubbles rushed past her to the surface. "

_It's all over…_Anna smiled under the sway of the pleasant coldness, and eyes open as the water swayed to and fro, claiming her…

Then suddenly, a pair of hands, or rather, claws broke the water's surface, and unable to move, Anna could only watch helplessly as the scarred flesh waved in front of her face. The face of the monster followed shortly afterwards, and the haunting yellow eyes stared straight into hers.

"It's time." The Shinigami whispered, and took her frozen hands.

* * *

Author's Note: ...i have no idea what to say about this chapter. But please review! And check back to see how L handles the situation!!

The shooting scene was kinda like when Matt was shot to death...yea, picture that.

OH, and hello crazy vampire fan! I am one too! I LOVE EDWARD CULLEN!!!!!! GO TWILIGHT NEW MOON AND ECLIPSE!!!

ahem...ok, i'm done. Now the review is just a click away!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own death note

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The detective was silent as he gazed at the screen, then finally after a few moments, L spoke. "Everyone, please leave, and do not come back." L stood up from the chair he sat, "Except Light kun, of course, Light kun will stay here."

"What are you talking about? Ryuuzaki?" Light asked with fake concern in his voice. "Do you think we'd abandon you to the case?"

"No." L turned to face them, his expression dark and unreadable. "I will not have your lives endangered any longer. Anna's death has brought this to my attention. Go home, right now, and leave this to me."

One by one the policemen protested against the abrupt end to their partnership, but L merely turned a blind eye. Turning again, he pushed a button on the speaker, "Watari, please escort them."

"Yes, Ryuuzaki." The speaker beeped out.

"Do you really think it's this easy to just throw us out?" Matsuda asked angrily, "After going to all the trouble to get us to work with you, you say one word and expect everyone to just go home as if they were never here?"

"Light kun," L went on, ignoring Matsuda's frantic actions of protest, "Please wait in the next room. I have cameras to watch you should you want to do anything suspicious. Also, please refrain from leaving as I need to keep an eye on you."

At that moment, the door slid open, and Watari stood, gesturing for the policemen to follow. Light's father eyed L once, then Light.

"Don't worry, Yagami san. Light will be fine here with me," L turned his unblinking gaze onto the senior police chief, "unless, of course, he proves to be Kira."

Sighing, the police chief disappeared by the door, followed by Matsuda, Aizawa, and Mogi. "Ryuuzaki." Watari nodded, and closed the door behind him.

Light went to the door and sighed, "You're depressed again, aren't you?"

"No." L shook his head, as Light waked through the door and closed it behind him. "This is worse."

Alone, L went to the side of the room, where a satin black grand piano awaited him. Sitting down, L's fingers lay on the ivory keys. But no music sprang, no sounds came. The only thing awaited him was nothingness. "Anna…" he tasted the name on his tongue, but his fingers froze in their places. The music won't come with her smile; the melody won't play in his mind, with his memories. They were gone, with her. The detective's gaze drifted sadly up to the ceiling.

"_Help me…"_

Why couldn't he do anything? Were there really no ways to save her? Or did he not try hard enough?

She's not dead, somehow she has to be alive, but how can she be alive? It doesn't matter, she would find a way. She…Anna, come on…it's Anna, she has to have a way, there's no way someone like her would die so easily…

It's my fault; I made her promise never to take another life. I stripped away her self defense. I led her into this treacherous case; I led her into this…like an innocent lamb to the slaughter, just so I can catch Kira. I used her, I risked her life just to I can salvage my worthless pride.

But never in my wildest dreams did I know I would fall in love with her, that her death would cause me so much pain.

It had felt like she was invincible, that she would always be by my side. I've never treasured her presence, but now that she's gone, the world seemed strangely empty. How can it even function without her? L felt the regret rise, and he closed his onyx eyes, lowered his gaze, and heaved a long sigh.

A single music note rang clearly, and echoed around the empty room.

L looked down on the ivory keys.

How could he have sent her to her death?

The music flowed differently this time. The first time he had played it for Anna, the melody eagerly jumped from his fingers to the keys, now it moved slowly, the currents were no longer excited and joyful, no longer sharp and knowing. Instead, it moved slowly, almost against its will, as if it's been scolded, and they were dull with pain and sorrow, its waters did not leap with life and hope, they dragged with black colored death.

"Styx." L murmured the name of the river of death, the name of the song. The music streamed from his fingers, untamed. He let them have their way, listening to them thud again and again over the ivory keys as he bent over the piano, taking in to his heart the soul of the song.

But his heart rejected it.

The music grew angry as the melody splashed over with ferocity. The waves crashed forcefully against the solid, undeniable truth. L's eyes hardened as his fingers repeated the phrase. Over and over again they wore at its shape, its meaning. The tide soared to its utmost height, bracing itself against the darkness that threatened to consume. Undercurrents raced, the winds picked up, lightning struck mercilessly into the deep. The detective did not want to accept the truth, but there was nothing to support him. Under the raging waters where there were usually the solid depths, now there was only darkness. L had lost his footing, his support. There was nothing he had left to trust, nothing to fall back upon.

Bit by bit the winds calmed, and the waters slowed. L's fingers lingered over the ivory keys as the last note hung soberly in the air. Standing, L replaced the cover over the ivory keys and set the lid down gently.

L looked to his computer, the truth ringing in his ear.

Anna was dead.

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Light hated the camera.

How he wanted to rejoice over his latest victory! But he had to keep a straight face for the camera, even fake hints of sadness. The Shinigami was not helping either. All Rem talked about were warnings on top of warnings. For heaven sakes it's not as if he didn't know the dangers they were in. However, he again pushed down the urge to tell the Shinigami to shut up. Such a motion would expose them for sure.

He almost regretted taking the note from Misa.

Annoyed, Light glanced at the clock; it was getting late, the hands slowly dragged towards seven o clock, and Light was hungry. You don't keep God hungry no matter how depressed you are. However, since he was forbidden to leave the room, he should inform the detective before doing anything.

Light walked briskly towards door and gave it a gentle knock. When no reply came, Light knocked again, harder.

L seemed to pay him no attention.

Feeling slightly pissed off, Light kept right on knocking. He was God after all, he deserved some attention. Light thought to himself, L brought it on himself, trying to defy God.

Light pounded the door.

The door slid open suddenly, and Light's pounding fist came in L's open palm. "What is so important?" the detective regarded him angrily.

He was still sulking. Light noticed with glee, but he kept his voice even. "I'm hungry, you are too, probably. I won't force you to eat, but I would like to."

"You can deal with it." L muttered and backed away from the door, letting it slide closed. But Light was faster, his hand caught the side of the door before it could fully close. "You can't let your depression cause discomfort for others, Ryuuzaki."

The detective's expression became a shade darker. "There's sugar cubes in the kitchen." He muttered again, more forcefully this time.

"Something non-sugar," Light rolled his eyes, "I don't suppose I could go out to eat?"

L walked past light with an irritated sigh and pressed a button. "Bring Light some food please, Watari."

"And yourself?" the kind voice asked with concern.

"I'm fine." L replied, and then turned back, but Light's hand caught him on the shoulder.

"It's true when they say you don't know what you have until you've lost it." Light stared into L's eyes. "Isn't it?"

The detective did not turn angry, instead sadness shone through his answer, "Yes, yes it's true."

"But Anna is dead, Ryuuzaki, move on. There are so many more people who need you to save them, you have to catch Kira, remember?"

"Trying to catch Kira is the reason she's…" L shook his head, "Is she?"

"She is dead." Light confirmed.

L glared at Light, "You don't know that."

"Do you plan on finding her body and putting yourself in even deeper stress?" Light argued, "The river could've carried her anywhere by now. You'll never find her."

"I can try." L's voice was determined as he shrugged off Light's hand, and slid the door closed.

L closed his eyes with his back to the door. As confident and as determined as he is, he cannot deny the fact that bothered him now. He knew the chances of finding Anna, he knew they were slim. Even smaller are the chances of finding her alive.

Walking slowly across the room, L descended down some stairs, and raised his hand hesitatingly to knock on the door. The detective drew a deep breath, and gently rapped his pale fingers twice against the cold steel.

"Come in, Ryuuzaki." A soft humble voice answered.

L pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Watari." He murmured.

The old man regarded him kindly and sat him down on a sofa, as if he were a child. L brought up his knees and hugged them, then slowly raised his eyes to study the man in front of him. Grief shone in his eyes as well, but, L realized, different from his. It raised a question he had to answer now; did he feel stronger about the girl than all the others? Has he really changed due to her presence?

Watari sat across from him, raising a hand, he tenderly stroked L's messy hair, and his hand lingered on the detectives face as he raised L's gaze to meet his own. "It's difficult isn't it?" he asked, gently wiping the bags under L's eyes. There was no pity in his voice, only grief and sorrow, and L was grateful for it. He did not want pity.

"You've always been like a father to me." L sighed.

"Ryuuzaki, I imagine you probably know this already." Watari said quietly, "You still have a job to do no matter you sadness. But-" the old man paused briefly, "That is not what I'm going to tell you. I see the confusion and sadness in your eyes; your expressions are no longer concealed like I taught you. It won't do anyone any good for you to continue the case in this condition. Let it all out, Ryuuzaki, then, when you can think clearly again, we'll begin the case anew."

"Have I been changed by…_her_?" L couldn't bring himself to think the name.

Watari kindly stroked L's face again, "Yes. I have seen the changes that Anna has brought upon you. I wasn't sure if it was the right thing at the moment, given our situation with Kira…but I saw it. Anna calms your fears, and you believed in her with everything you had. There was no mistake made in her death, though I doubted-I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you would sacrifice her to find a breakthrough. I didn't think you would sacrifice the one you loved."

"The change was so gradual I didn't realize it." L closed his eyes, "But now that I have lost her…I have realized too late." His voice ended in a bitter laugh. "She was right, I did know. I've seen it from the beginning, but despite it all I hoped she would live. How could've I been so stupid? Why did it have to be her?"

"You cannot choose who to love, Ryuuzaki," Watari murmured wisely, "only whose love to accept."

They sat in silence for a while as both men were buried deep in thought, then Watari's eyes narrowed. "I really shouldn't raise your hopes like this, but there might be a chance that she's not dead."

L's eyes shone as he looked up at Watari, and then dimmed again. "She was under the water for so long, and the injuries she received…"

"I think we need to see to make sure." Watari nodded to himself, "I can see that you won't accept it until you have seen it, that much I'm sure of."

"How long will it take to prepare to go to London?" L stood, his usual authority coming back.

"Two days." Watari escorted L to the door.

"Perfect." L nodded, "It's time I had a word with my successors anyway."

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Two more days passed the same way. Light found his meals ready for him at regular times. L hadn't shown himself either, probably sulking in that depressing room over Anna's death. The genius was surprised when the detective walked through the door and looked him in the eye.

"We're going to London," the detective stated, it wasn't a question.

"What?"

"We're going to London," the detective repeated, "To see someone."

"To try and find Anna." Light sighed and rolled his eyes.

L glared at him, his eyes hard yet his voice soft. "Anna is dead. I accept the truth. But I need to talk with someone."

"Who is this someone?" Light crossed his arms in front of his chest. He knew he wouldn't get an answer.

L turned and led the way, "That is none of your business. You will be waiting for me in a room much similar to this one. I-"

_Beeeeeeeeeep_

L pulled out his phone and flipped it open. Suddenly his jaw tensed as he clenched his teeth together, but his expression was confused as he read the message over and over again.

"What is it?" Light stepped over to looked at the message, but L snapped the phone shut at the last second, not letting Light see the message

"Watari's ready for us." He glanced at Light.

L was confounded. It was from a stranger, someone random person residing in Britain. But even stranger was the message. It consisted only of the numbers 513028000741.

"Five, one, three, zero, two, eight, zero, zero, zero, seven, four, one." L read quietly to himself so Light couldn't hear, "What does it mean?" The detective had already put the numbers through every single code he knew. None of it worked. Could it be from Anna? Is she asking for help?

Light took no further interest in the message.

L's eyes narrowed, then he tucked the phone into his pocked, "Let's go." He briskly walked up the stairs.

The wind hit Light like a wall as he grabbed onto the detective's shoulder for support. L flinched, and then looked back with his dark eyes. For the first time, Light realized, the detective's eyes were lighter, not as bagged, but there was weariness in them that he had never known. Gently but firmly, L politely released his shoulder from Light's grip for support and walked to the helicopter. "Thank you Watari." He murmured to the old man as he walked by.

"Certainly, would you like anything?"

"Coffee." L showed him a lopsided grin, "with the usual amount of sugar."

* * *

Author's note: Sigh...poor L...but please keep reading! The numbers actually do have a specific meaning. Feel free to google it, you might come up with something. I actually had to do some research on this chapter before writing it. Makes me feel professional lol. However, after a few chaps when the meaning of the numbers are revealed to you, you might find that they are not exact, but it's good enough, i mean...it does cover a lot of...uhh..ok i'll stop spoiling the story now.

Show me what you think by reviewing! I might take a bit longer with the next chapter cause i don't know how to start it off...but i'm sure i'll come up with something soon...

Hotori


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. And if i did actually own the notebook, i would burn it...I'm a L fan!! WOOT!!!!

I'm a Light hater too...don't forget that...

* * *

The white haired boy twirled his hair around his finger busily and heaved a long sigh. "L will be so pissed off at us…" he whispered quietly to himself as he added yet another dice to the city he constructed. Turning the small cube precisely, leaving the one facing the outside.

"Near." Halle Lidner walked into the room quietly, "I believe it's time to go."

The boy's fingers paused as he stood up, and stared at the screen in front of him, where Watari had just informed them of L's visit. This visit, no doubt, entails Anna's death, an event that the white haired boy feels responsible towards. Near took a deep breathe, then walked towards a chair and gathered his ball robot into his arms. "I'm ready." He replied softly.

Near's dark eyes were pinned to the invisible spot in front of him for the entire ride. Lidner stayed quiet and thoughtful as she drove, knowing that the boy probably has millions of thoughts racing through his head. She didn't fail to notice though, the way Near clutched his robot intensely. His fingers white, though out of fear of something else, she couldn't say.

"Right." The command was so sudden Lidner almost didn't catch it. Her foot slammed instinctively on the brake, and she managed a smooth turn to the right and into an alleyway. "Thank you, Lidner san," Near nodded politely as he stepped out of the car, "Please, wait here." He instructed, "In the car."

"But-" Lidner protested.

"Wait." Near's gaze was not that of a child's, and Lidner stayed. "Please." The boy added, and then walked away into the dark alley, swallowed by the darkness.

"Near." Mello's voice was low, and barely welcome as he opened the door for the white haired boy.

"L is coming with bad news." Near shared a look with Mello, and made himself comfortable on the sofa. "Where are the rest of them?"

"It's between the three of us." Mello said. "It has nothing to do with them."

"You're nervous." Near took his robot and held it in front of his eyes. Mello scowled. "It's okay, I am too." Near grinned, and cast a look over to Mello, leaning against the door. "What will you say?"

"What can I say?" Mello shook his head, "I set up a plan killing someone who works for him, and I succeeded. And somehow that someone is important enough to him for him to come all the way to Britain to find me."

"Maybe L loves the girl," Near shrugged, thoughtful.

"That's comforting…I killed the girl he loved…even better." Mello sighed, "God this case is getting so complicated."

"Quite." Near played with his robot again, hugging his one raised knee. His dark eyes flickered over to the old grandfather clock. "I think he'll be here soon, you ready?"

"Nope." Mello rolled his eyes.

"Will you ever be?" Near asked again, smiling now.

"Nope." Mello answered again, and the clock tolled, just in time with the door bell. Looking over to Near one last time, Mello took a deep breath, and opened the door.

L stepped in stately to face his two successors. With Watari following close at his heels, "Mello, Near, thank you for coming at my request."

"Some request." Near looked up from his robot and grinned. "More like a command I'd say."

L did not smile in return. "I have no time for pleasantries and am in no mood for it either." He regarded his two successors seriously. "I'm just here to discuss-"

"Anna's death, yeah we know." Mello stepped in front of L and met his eyes. "My fault, I'll take the punishment."

L's eyes suddenly turned bottomless black with anger. Without warning, his arm snapped forward and his fist shot out, slamming into Mello's face with all the strength the detective could muster. The blonde boy flew backwards head first into the wall, barely maintaining his balance to stand. Near's eyes widened, though he showed no sign of fear. The boy almost seemed more surprised than frightened. But a closer look could pick out his small pale hand distinctively tighter on his robot. Watari stood by the door and let out a small sigh.

"First things first." L said calmly, though fury radiated from him and burned in his eyes. "Do not cut me off in the middle of a sentence."

Mello groaned and leaned against the wall for support, his hand rubbing his cheek. He did not speak.

"You idiot," L seethed, though his voice was composed and quiet. "What the hell were you thinking trying to kidnap Takada Kiyomi?"

"She's upstairs." Mello straightened and rubbed his cheek. "Do you want to question her?"

L's pale fist shot out again, but was caught by Mello's hand. "I feel guilty about Anna's death. I deserved that." The blond boy glared into L's unwavering eyes, "This one will cost you."

The detective dropped his hand. "I don't suppose you've thought about how angry Kira will be to hear that his new spokesperson is kidnapped."

"He was hoping that Kira would make rash decisions, actually," Near fingered his toy, joining the conversation. His eyes were pleasant and kind when he looked at L, and a grin played on his childish face.

L sighed loudly, "If Kira was that dumb don't you think I would've caught him?"

"Perhaps," Mello shrugged. "But I thought you might've been…_distracted._"

"With what?" L rolled his eyes.

"Some girl came by a few weeks ago asking if I knew where you were." Mello answered, "I told her no, of course, though she looked kind of familiar. Funny how she knew where to find me…" the blond boy cast a look at Near.

Near shrugged, "It wasn't me."

L shook his head, "I haven't heard anything about that."

"Fine then, that aside." Mello gestured L to the seat, and the detective walked silently to the couch opposite of Near, sitting in his usual position with his hands on his knees. Mello remained standing behind Near. "Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No. I wanted to clarify Anna's death." L was composed as he said the words.

Mello's looked up at the ceiling with a sigh, "You can't be hoping she's still alive." He breathed, "I mean-"

"Give me the information Mello." L snapped, "You can keep your depressing thoughts to yourself, though your behavior is strange given the fact that we've both lost a close friend."

Mello's head snapped quickly back, looking L in the eye, a small smile on his lips. "You're alone in that. Matt survived."

L's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, "Oh, where is he then?"

"Upstairs resting," Mello grimaced, "He's pretty shaken."

"Well then." L stood up and with three long strides covered the distance of the room and was at the stairs. "I will be talking to Matt."

"Hey!" Mello complained, "It's my place."

L ignored him, "What need do I have for you when I can talk to someone who was at the scene?" with that the detective almost ran up the stairs.

The door to Matt's room clicked open easily as the detective walked through. And there in his bed, Matt breathed heavily, unevenly, almost painfully. The bronze haired boy's eyes flickered open at the sound of L's approach, and he tried to sit up, but L gestured for him to stay down. "Sorry…I tried." Matt apologized, the guilt was in his eyes, and L could see it."

"I just have a few questions, that's all Matt." The detective murmured soothingly, and the shivering boy nodded his bronze hair dangling messily in front of his face.

"I'd really rather you let him rest." Mello leaned against the door, his face serious.

"And I'd really rather Anna's alive." L snapped back expressionlessly, then his voice softened, "I won't be long, Mello." Turning back to Matt, the detective continued, "Please describe the events after Anna fell into the river."

Matt nodded weakly again, his eyes staring into the ceiling. "I went in after her, of course." He said hoarsely with a long shuddering breath, "The water was freezing cold, like million knives stabbing into you…it was unbearable. I can hardly imagine how much worse it could be for her. I swam after her, in the general direction of course."

"How did you know where she was?"

"Easy." Matt's eyes fell on L. "I could hear her screaming, in fear of the water I suppose. I've been filled in on that part of the story."

"Continue." L nodded.

"I told her to close her eyes and think of something else…" Matt's gaze drifted up to the ceiling again, pondering. "I found her, but I could only grab on to her hand. But the current was too strong, and she was struggling, still screaming…" He shuddered at the thought, "the water was so cold…it numbed everything…and I couldn't swim properly with her, the current was trying to pull us apart. A wave crashed over my head, and I swallowed some of the icy water. It was a horrible burning sensation down my throat. I'm quite sure it damaged my lung tissue. The current tore at us harder, then…I seem to hear something like…almost music. I couldn't tell. Anna was thrashing harder; she probably opened her eyes…" Matt took a deep convulsing breath, sending shudders down his body. "Her hand was torn out of mine; there was nothing I could do." He looked at L again, "I had to swim for shore, and my strength was spent, if I went in after her again, it would've been suicide. I managed to hang on to one of the supports of a bridge. I wore a tracker, so eventually Mello found me."

"I'm glad you're okay." L smile kindly, "Was Anna wearing a tracker?"

"No."

"Of course," L nodded, this time sadly, "I would like you to take a look at these numbers." He pulled out his cell phone, showing the numbers 513028000741 to Matt. "Do you recognize this?"

Matt frowned, "No I don't. You should ask Near though. He's the one good with games." The boy encouraged with a wide grin. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"I will, thanks." L patted Matt on the shoulder. "Thank you." The detective rose from his chair and started to leave.

"I never really believed that anyone can have such an impact on you." Matt shook his head, "You really have changed."

L frowned, "Maybe it's about time." He shrugged, and followed Mello out of the door.

Once downstairs, L took Matt's advice. "Near, do you know what these numbers mean?" he took out his phone again and showed Near the message. The boy's eyes narrowed as he studied the message, frowning.

"Are you sure you can't figure this out on your own?" Near looked up at L, "I see the message in this, how can you not?"

L was puzzled.

Mello walked over and took his own look at the strange message. "Are you serious?" he murmured, "You really are an idiot you know that?" he looked at L, who scowled. "Even I can figure this out!" Mello exclaimed.

"I'm glad you've made progress Mello." L hissed icily, "So what does it say?"

"Do you have a map?" Near looked to his rival, irritation was clear in his voice.

Mello nodded, and pulled out a map of London from a drawer. "Here." He handed it to Near, who looked over the numbers again as he traced his fingers over the paper, murmuring softly to himself as he did so.

"So does it match?" Mello questioned.

Near nodded, "it seems like we were right about this, Mello."

L waited patiently.

"You must be really stressed out, if you can't figure this out." Near pulled a piece of white paper out of his pockets and borrowed a pen from Mello, writing hastily.

"I am really stressed." The detective took the paper from Near, but the boy held on to it. "You'll understand when you're older." L grinned lopsidedly, "God I can't believe I just said that. This is so sad."

"It's good actually. Looks like you finally got yourself a weakness." Near grinned, "That emotion really makes you feel strange. It's quite, inevitable really."

"Go, and find her." Mello encouraged.

L's eyes glanced over the code. "It's so simple." He frowned, "I don't know if I should be happy or depressed that I couldn't solve this thing…"

The message was crystal clear.

51º30"28 00º07"41'

"Longitude and latitude coordinates." L shook his head gently from side to side.

Near nodded, "She's alive."

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for your patience during Anna's absence, next chapter we will see REALLY what happened to her! The story will take a new twist...heehee, thank you for your support! For those of you that searched up the numbers, they're really latitude and longitude coordinates, degrees, minutes, seconds, and can accurately pinpoint pocations on maps etc. I think there are cell phones that show you were you are like a GPS system. :D anyway thanks for reading, please review and i'll talk to you next time!

I really wanted to keep Anna's living fact for a secret a while longer...but i guess the excitement can't be contained... :D


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: i do not own death note

70 HOURS (APPROXIMATELY 3 DAYS AGO)

"Stay still." A surprisingly humane voice murmured in her ear, "I'm almost done."

Anna obeyed, but opened her eyes slightly. Her vision was blurry, she couldn't see clearly, but she heard the faint noise of rushing of water nearby. The assassin breathed a sigh of relief; at least she hadn't lost her senses. She wasn't even sure how to feel right now, angry that L betrayed her? Glad that she survived? What?

A stab of pain brought her attention back to the condition of her body. "Ouch." She murmured, "Who's there?"

"Stay still." The voice repeated again, and Anna felt a few more gentle smooth pricks. Then the last of the pain faded. "I'm finished." The voice stated, "I suggest you keep still though."

"Who are you?" Anna whispered; her muscles were very sore.

"Ahh…that is a very good question." The voice laughed hoarsely. Anna felt an icy hand lift her up, and helped her lean against a cold rock. "Open your eyes fully please." The voice asked politely, and Anna did so. "Good…" Anna saw the shadowy figure from her peripheral view, and then the full image was settled before her eyes.

She wanted to scream.

"Damn. I am dead aren't I? Crap! This sucks!"

The Shinigami regarded her curiously. He was obviously male, with dark brown hair the ended in black tips. His eyes were haunting and yellow, with the darkest pupil she's ever seen. The Shinigami was definitely imaginable, with his bony deformed body and ragged clothes, if you can call them clothes. Red marks ran from under his eyes to the side of his face before curving back and running down his cheeks. It almost looked like he was crying blood. His hands were covered with scarred flesh, and bone like shells wrapped around his arm all the way up his shoulder like armor. Really, a typical Shinigami, until it smiled.

The figure laughed, "The presence of a Shinigami doesn't necessarily mean that one is dead, though that is often the case. My name is Sorrow, I've waited long to meet you again, Sheila, dear."

Anna stared at him blankly for a few seconds before snapping to reality. "Again? Whoa-" Anna was confused, "Let me get this straight, you're Death God, I'm alive, I've met you before and you just called me Sheila."

"That is your true name, Sheila Faust." The Shinigami nodded; his haunting yellow eyes somehow comforting. "And I, used to be Raymond Faust, though that name hasn't been used in a few decades."

"My name…I'm imagining things…this is bad...I'm dead, and hallucinating." Anna sighed, "And you…you're my…father? Or something?"

"I used to be. I am dead." Sorrow's expression was sad, "I'm sorry I abandoned you."

"No, seriously, you used to be my father?" Anna's expression was priceless. "Wait, who cares, I'm dead! I'm DEAD!!"

"You're surprised, but you seem to accept the concept quite readily." Sorrow laughed; a crackling hoarse sound. "You have a weird family kiddo, and you're NOT dead."

Anna shook her head and for the first time noticed the river and the grass she laid on, "Seems so." She rolled her eyes, "let's start with more recent events. Why am I alive? How did you find me? Why aren't I fainting from pain and does this have anything to do with Kira?"

"I saved you, through a portal, I healed you, and sort of." The Shinigami was humorous. Wow.

Anna waited for him, or it, or dad, to continue.

"Let me explain the basic being of us Shinigami." Sorrow gazed into her eyes seriously, "We are- as you stated- Death Gods. We can't be seen, and we can die by only two ways. If we run out of lifespan, or, if we break the rules our king has set for us."

"Run out-" Anna stated, but was cut off by a wave of the scarred flesh that marked Sorrow's hand.

"We exist with this." He pulled out a black notebook. "Death Note. Any human whose name is written in this notebook shall die in forty seconds. The remainder of that human's lifespan, however long it may be, is added to our own. My own."

"Kira…"

"Very good daughter, you catch on quickly." Sorrow grinned.

Anna glared at him, "You may call my by my name Anna."

Sorrow winced at the stinging remark, his expression suddenly sullen.

Anna found the Shinigami's hand, "Sorry, but, I'm just not used to it."

The Shinigami shook his head, "It's understandable." He continued, "Anyway, it is the Death Note that caused the deaths of these prisoners, and the person who wields it is called, Kira. You need to know the name of the person, and to avoid mix ups, their face as well. That's all that's required for us to survive. We may manipulate cause of death, time of death, actions before death…all for our little games; the Death Note's pages do not run out, we are powerful."

"But?"

"But, once in a century, there's always that stray Shinigami that falls in love with a human, and uses the Death Note to save their life by killing their murderer or something. That is breaking the rules, when that occurs, the Shinigami will die, his remaining lifespan transferred to the person he saved." Sorrow continued, "Humans usually can't see us, but they can, once they touch our Death Note, when we hand our Death Note to you humans, as I have handed mine to you."

"Intense." Anna commented.

Sorrow smiled crookedly, "I merely pulled you from the water."

"You mean you can touch physical things?" Anna questioned.

"When we want to," Sorrow laughed, "We're careful about it."

"Go on."

The Shinigami nodded, "I saw you through a portal, and I've been watching you for just about all of my life. You might've noticed through our family history that our ancestor Faust made a deal with the devil in return for fifteen years of unlimited resources and prosperity. I merely followed his footsteps, though my reason was a bit more…humane. I was ill, Anna, gravely so, and your mother was dead, I knew I couldn't take care of you, so I asked the Death Gods to do so, to watch over you and keep you alive until another human promises to take over."

"Commitment." Anna spat the word.

"In return I offered them my afterlife. I serve as a Shinigami, well, it's only two thousand years." He laughed, "That's why you were so strong when you were a child. The Shinigami kept their promise, you were gifted with strength, speed, and survival instincts no other human has, but you yourself was normal. I apologize for making your life so hard. I know, believe me. I've watched you through our portal to the human world for a long time, Anna. The Shinigami play with their promises, they never do what you want them to. They'll always make you miserable in the end."

"Touched." Anna said.

"Your third question, again tied in with our history. I was a doctor, quite a fine one really. Since we could touch physical objects, it wasn't all that hard to put your bone fragments back in their rightful places with a scalpel. I have a lot of experience."

"YOU CUT ME OPEN??" Anna exclaimed at this, "YOU DID SURGERY ON ME WHILE I WAS ASLEEP???" a sharp pain stabbed through her chest.

"Passed out actually, but yes, would you rather have died?" Sorrow replied seriously, "And you really shouldn't spend so much energy on yelling, your lung tissue was barely mended and your ribs put into place, it's still very fragile."

"I hate you Raymond Faust." Anna hissed, her energy spent.

"You have reason to." The Shinigami smiled, "And I believe I already answered your question about Kira."

Anna closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, "To think I'd meet my dead dad. It's a small world after all."

Sorrow laughed, "Don't worry sweetheart, I will always watch over you, now that you have my Death Note, I won't leave your side. The Shinigami's promise still stands as well. No one has promised to protect you, love you, and keep you for the rest of your life yet. Your injuries will heal in a matter of days with our power."

"I hate it when you say that." Anna smiled sourly, "Yet."

"The detective really loves you; he just has to put it into words." Sorrow grinned, teasing.

"Don't take the dad role too far, Shinigami." Anna retorted, "How would you know if he loves me or not?"

Sorrow rolled his eyes, "Watching, portal, remember?"

"Then you should know that he tried to kill me!" Anna exclaimed angrily, receiving another jab of pain from her fragile lungs. "Why the hell would he do that?" She was exasperated now, "What did I do wrong?"

Sorrow paid her no attention, but instead, he drew out a silver string, "I saved this for you too." He murmured.

"L's gift… you fixed it." Anna waited calmly as the Shinigami tied it around her neck.

"You like him too." Sorrow smirked.

"Not after he tried to kill me." Anna shook her head.

"Don't lie to me, I can tell." Sorrow frowned, "You do like him."

"Shut up, Raymond Faust, or I will-" her voice was muffled as the Shinigami's hand suddenly covered her mouth, "Fake unconscious." Sorrow whispered by her ear, and soon enough, Anna heard it too. She felt the Shinigami's hand grab the Death Note from her side.

A human was approaching.

"Sleep, Sheila. Get some rest." Sorrow whispered by her ear, "I will watch the human if he tries anything."

Anna nodded so gently the movement was barely visible. Her eyes still closed, she sank back into the darkness.

And then she heard the lies.

"_He used you, he never valued your life, he tried to kill you, and he betrayed you." The voice said calmly, "You don't deserve this."_

"What should I do in return?" Anna replied unconsciously.

"_Kill him."_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

L traced the location to its exact source, which…really…didn't say much. Even if the location was as detailed as possible, he still had to search whole ten streets. This doesn't make L very happy. For safety, he carried a gun. The detective hated its dead weight on him. Really it was much more preferable to fight hand to hand, its much more dramatic that way. L amused himself as he stepped down the stairs from the last house of the 9th street. It's easier to run away too.

The detective was followed by his four guards as he came upon the first house of the 10th street. His pale finger reached out, and pushed the bell gently.

There was no response. Again L pushed the button.

No response.

"Okay." L muttered under his breath and pulled out yet another thing he would normally never carry around, a hairpin. Feeling slightly guilty, he pricked at the lock until it sprang open with a gentle click. The detective quietly opened the door and let his four guards inside. L took a deep breathe, readying himself for whatever he might find with this building.

"Search," was his one command.

The guards moved swiftly and quietly, but L missed Anna's agile form that came and went with the shadows. He smiled to himself, if it were her; he wouldn't even need another bodyguard. He shuddered at what he might find, was she really alive? Or is she dead by now? He couldn't bear to think the image of her lithe body stilled forever. I will have her back soon. L convinced himself.

Creeping through the living room, L gently walked up some stairs, making sure that there were no creaks as he went along. His guards followed him, silently, but without grace. Something about this is very, very peculiar. L thought as he came to a stop at the top. It's like a set up…Quickly he examined his surroundings, and walked to a well crafted chestnut door.

"Stay out." L warned his guards with a look.

"Sir," one of the guards interrupted, "you really should take out your gun."

L rolled his eyes, but pulled out the heavy steel gun from his pockets. Then reaching for the handle silently, L took a deep breathe and walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"Hello, L."

"Anna…" L sighed in relief and took a step forward.

"Stop right there." Anna hissed from the chair she sat on. "If I could move right you'd be dead." Her eyes were dark and hard with anger, "As it is, you're lucky my bones are so shattered I barely have the strength to stand."

L froze where he stood, his eyes black and hollow; his features expressionless.

"I guess my fragile left arm would do." Anna snatched up a gun from her side and shot a bullet at the gun L was holding, the impact send vibrations all the way up L's arm as the detective dropped the gun, his face pained.

"Good aim." He complimented tonelessly.

Anna nodded in agreement, raising the gun to L's chest. "I always disliked guns. We talk better without them."

* * *

Author's Note: Yes...i didn't mean to take so long, i'm sorry. The next update will hopefully be a bit faster. Anyway, it's mainly because there was a lot of information processed in this chapter about Anna's history, her name, and such. I didn't want to have to be writing one day and go, crap, i should've put that information in there too so it would make sense!

I also had quite a hard time writing her attitude i guess...and violent behavior at the end. I had to write and rewrite many times. It was hard for me to make Anna express hatred for the guy she's supposed to fall in love with, so that concept might be a bit weak as well. but i did the best i could!

Anna's violent behavior really did unnerve me thougH, oh well! There'll be lots of action in the next chapt! Review Please!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: i do not own death note or a certain scene in this chapter.

* * *

"This is ridiculous Anna." L murmured, "You can't shoot me, put the gun down."

"Don't push your luck." Anna snapped in reply. "You know what I want."

L nodded, "Answers, of course." He calmly met Anna's eyes, "Please be reasonable. I never wanted this to happen."

A string of tension seemed to snap. "You tried to kill me!" Anna hissed furiously, standing up, her right arm gently supporting her on the desk.

"I'm sorry." His eyes were dark and sincere as he said the words.

Anna scoffed, "The gun you had in your hand stated otherwise, and the gun pointed at your head at the moment says that I don't forgive you."

"That's okay." L replied with a shrug, "Will you let me repay you?"

"It seemed like you came to finish me off to keep your name clean." Anna whispered, "You can't deny it L, you did know I was going to die."

The silence was almost unbearable as the detective took another step forward. "Yet here you are standing before me." His fingers curled around the barrel of the gun. Anna glared at him warningly. L eased away, his expression once again twisted in pain as he took a step back. "I did know it was a possibility." He answered, once again passive and toneless. "I wanted to trust you, as was your wishes. I didn't want to think of the fact that you might die. At the moment, it seemed really that nothing could kill you. I took your presence for granted, for that I am sorry."

Anna hesitated, "You…are driving me crazy." Her eyes were softened, but still angry. "You whole chain of thought…you entire logic…" her eyes closed momentarily, her fingers flexing around the grip of the gun. "Nothing about you makes sense."

"Please explain."

"It will just make so much sense…if you did try to kill me." Anna took long, deep breathes to steady herself, "You were raised in an orphanage when we first met. You knew nothing of the outside world that I struggled to survive in. That would work, because of your ignorance; you can plainly tell me that I'm normal. What do you know? You were a child." She paused, letting the words sink, "Then again, you rescued me from those crazy scientists, possibly because you thought I could help you, possibly because you felt that that was your 'justice'. I can understand that too, a young detective, a strong will for justice."

L shook his head, but Anna ignored him.

"All those years later, I was seventeen, and you nineteen. We met again, this time as enemies." Her eyes grew hard, "That was when I got confused. Just as your justice empowers you, you act on it and do whatever it takes to bring fairness. You should've let them kill me. Why did you stop their righteous judgment? Why did you spare me, simply making me take a vow never to kill? Why did you depend on me keeping my word?" she shook her head, "Perhaps you truly believed that I was innocent. Perhaps you wanted to use me like all the others. I don't care, it was a mistake and you realized it."

"I haven't regretted anything since the day I became L." the detective sighed. "Until now that is."

"Listen!" Anna's shout abruptly silenced everything in the room, "It makes sense this way, you were young, you made a mistake, and now you're here to correct it. At the same time of course, you set up Matt to protect me, thus cleaning your name from any fault in the case that I really had survived."

L frowned, "You have a dizzying logic." he admitted.

"It's the only way that this entire thing makes-" Anna's words trailed off as her eyes softened with surprise. Her muscles tensed.

L's pale fingers once again wrapped around the barrel of the gun, and he bent down ever so slightly, touching the metal barrel to his forehead, his eyes closed as if ready for death. Carefully he breathed out, and opened his eyes. L's hand slipped off the barrel and clasped around Anna's hands. "Is that how it felt?" he asked.

Anna nodded, remembering the touch of metal against her forehead, so close to death. She had been so helpless, completely at the opponent's mercy, so weak.

"It doesn't feel very good." L admitted, raising his other hand, he gently pried the gun from Anna's fingers. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I said don't push your luck." Anna glared daggers at him, wrapping both her hands on the gun. L waited, unafraid.

"I really am sorry."

The assassin closed her eyes, and L smiled as he recognized the warm glow that emanated from them as Anna opened her eyes again. "The pain of hundreds of bullets thudding into your body is not something pleasant to experience." Anna's hands dropped to her sides. It was then that L got a good look at her. Her skin was pale, and she was so thin, the fright of the fall, the fear of the water, and anger of betrayal, it had all taken a toll on her. At the moment, it seemed like she would never recover.

Awkwardly, L pulled her into an embrace, relieved to find that Anna did not resist. "I truly beg your forgiveness. If it's not too much to ask, will you come back and work by my side?"

"We will see." Anna turned her head ever slightly, whispering in his ear, "It's not safe here. Someone works for Kira, he lives here."

"Who is he?" L whispered back, frowning.

"Mikami, Teru." Anna eased herself from his arms. "Let's get out of here."

The detective nodded, serious now that the situation has changed, "Can you walk?" he asked.

"With difficulty," Anna admitted as she still clung on to his arm for balance. "Even I can't heal in such a short amount of time."

"I can carry you if you want." L shrugged.

Anna smiled, "I'll manage. I haven't completely forgiven you yet."

L shrugged again, as they moved slowly towards the door and opened it with a gentle click, the door swung open. The two were astonished by the sight; L's four body guards lay unconscious on the ground, a dart at the back of their necks. "He's behind the corner of the hallway on the left." Anna whispered her eyes black and tense.

As if over hearing, Mikami Teru stepped out from under the shadows. "I'm quite disappointed." He glared at Anna, who met his gaze with just as much ferocity. "You should've killed him."

"That's my choice to make." Anna spat.

"And now you'll both die here." Mikami Teru pulled out a black note and a pen. "I can see your names, with these Shinigami's eyes."

"Kira's power." L realized breathlessly, "To kill with a name and a face."

A smug grin creased Mikami's face as he laughed crazily, gradually lowering his pen to the page. "None of you will leave this place alive." He mused, and laughed again, "Sheila Faust…and…"

"SORROW!!" Anna screamed, and L watched with shock as she seemed to be screaming at the empty space next to him.

Mikami's face froze, his hands hesitated, the pen stopped at the edge of the paper. With no warning, his hands began to quiver as he dropped the black notebook to the ground. His face was suddenly pale, as if drained of blood; he clutched his shirt, breathless. "You….have…" he choked, then pulled out something else from his pocket. "I thought this might happen…but I'll drag you all down to hell with me!!" He pushed down a big red button.

Steel panels slid across the windows and doors, sealing away every exit. The room was suddenly robbed of light. In the palpable darkness, a faint voice announced…

_Beep…………………………Beep………………………Beep……………………_

"That's a bomb." L whispered his expression hopeless, his mind blank.

"DIE!!!!!!!!" Mikami screamed, his chest heaving as he laughed our his last words. The sound broke through the darkness, echoing hauntingly throughout the building. Then gradually, his voice faded, and his corpse was still. Dead of a heart attack.

Anna quickly ran through the formulas through her head, counting. "We have roughly thirty seconds." She breathed, and then gazed hard at the empty space beside L again, the detective was dazed.

"Where is it?" she said to the empty air, then nodded to herself.

"L." she shook him, "L!! You're wasting time!"

The detective snapped back to reality. "Yes?"

"We have to get to the basement, under the stairs." She struggled to run down the stairs. Quickly, L grabbed her shoulders. "If Mikami was that confident, it's likely the bomb's magnitude is enough to blow down the entire house if not the basement as well." She explained, and faintly saw L nod, as if finally thinking clearly again.

_Beep………………………Beep……………………_

"_Ten seconds." _

The detective swung her easily into his arms and sprinted down the flight of stairs, pausing at Mikami's corpse as Anna picked the Death Note up from the ground and tucked in into her jacket pocket while sending him a deadly glare. "Please don't complain, it's for our lives." He said, still finding the humor to smile.

"Take the right hall; the stairs are at the end." Anna instructed, and L followed, "7 seconds." Anna calculated, and L ran faster.

"Three." Anna breathed as L ignored the last five stairs and jumped to the bottom. "Two." He helped her crawl under the stairs quickly. "One." L threw himself in after her, his arms locked around her as he pushed her to the ground. They squeezed their eyes shut.

_BeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeBOOM_

The world seems to explode around them. Anna threw her arms around L's neck and clung on desperately as the bomb sent columns of fire throughout, the heat and gas breaking wood and metal with their destructive force. _We're going to die. There's no way we can live through a bomb of this magnitude. _Anna realized, _even if we escape the blast, the remains from the house will bury us alive. _

Dust and rubble poured around them, though the stairs above them held fast against the torrent of wood and metal. "We're going to die…" she whispered almost inaudibly in his ear, coughing as the dust entered her throat. Already the sound was beginning to soften, but the dust continued to pour through along with the remains of the house, as well as sand and dirt.

But the wood above them could hold no longer. With a loud crack, the stairs broke free of their bonds. Both Anna and L awaited its dreaded weight to plunge them into death, but nothing came, the wood stayed above them, miraculously. The sound of the bomb had silenced, though they were too far underground and too much separated them from the cries of the surprised people. Only the sound of continuous falling remained now, L breathed out, his eyes still closed. "Are you okay?" he asked, awkwardly getting up. But the space was very cramped, and both of them grinned at the awkward atmosphere. After settling in a semi sitting position side by side, the detective examined the staircase above them that saved their lives.

It was badly cracked, dust and dirt poured from the injury it received from the explosion, but it held firm. Around them was the little space under the staircase. Wood planks and frames blockaded their way out along with dust and dirt poured in from the side, leaving tiny cracks where light entered and dimly illuminated their surroundings. Anna sighed in relief, "Do I look like I'm okay…?" she whispered hoarsely.

"You're fine." L heaved a sigh, tucking his legs under him to form his unique sitting position. "Now does that prove that I treasure your life?"

Anna smiled faintly, "Are _you _okay?"

"A few scratches," L shrugged and avoided her gaze.

Anna frowned, her expression serious as she dragged herself closer to L. "L turn around." She commanded, "Let me see."

"It's nothing." L insisted.

"I said turn." Anna repeated, and wincing, L did so.

Anna was not surprised by the blood that splattered across the back of L's white shirt, the gashes that tore through fabric and skin. It was wood that fell from above no doubt, injuring him while he protected her. "God." She breathed, her brows knotting unhappily, "This is nothing?" she rolled her eyes, "We'll have to get it fixed after we get out of here."

"Hm." L shrugged, "There's nothing we can do about it until we get out of here." He turned back around, "If we get out of here."

"Anna closed her eyes for seemingly a long moment. "Will you stop acting so smug already?" she sighed, and to L's surprise, to the space above them. "Give it here." She held out her hand expectantly.

"Anna?" L was puzzled, then his eyes widened in surprise as she pulled a black notebook out of thin air. "Touch it." She said, and L hesitantly touched the black cover of the notebook.

"Oh." L murmured as he became aware of their surroundings. A Shinigami sat beside him, smiling, his large feathery black wings like a canopy around them, holding the broken staircase in place and keeping them alive.

"This one too." Anna handed him Mikami's notebook, and he took it, becoming aware of a second Shinigami perched next to Anna. This Shinigami, however, was not so pleased to help as he sat, his black bat-like wings shielding them from the sand and dirt that will no doubt pour in and consume them if not held in place. This Shinigami observed the conversation with obvious interest in his haunting yellow eyes. "Yo! My name is Ryuk!" he cackled.

"That's Sorrow." Anna gestured to the Shinigami sitting beside L, "he's the owner of my Death Note."

"Death Note?" L's black eyes regarded the Shinigami sitting beside him, "Hm, you have some explaining to do once we get out of here."

Sorrow merely gave a sadistic grin. L frowned, puzzled.

Anna rolled her eyes, "He thinks he knows something and he's being really smug about it."

"What?" L's attention turned to her.

"He thinks you're interested." Anna shrugged.

"In you?" L inquired, tilting his head to one side.

Anna responded with a nod, "He's being ridiculous…"

L smiled crookedly, a smile that reached his eyes "I might be interested." He said smugly. "In you." He added quickly as he saw her eyes spark not with surprise, but something else.

Sorrow smiled, "I told you so. But as your guardian and parent, I think we should take this step by step and not rush things and…."

Anna shifted her weight forward in the narrow space and pressed her lips against L's quickly, then sat back as soon as she felt L kiss her back. Amusement sparkled in her eyes as she observed L's reaction, then Sorrows. Blood crept up her neck, and she blushed, though without effort to hide it. The Shinigami was stupefied.

"Wow." L commented finally, a tad of admiration in his voice. "What was that for?"

"Two reasons." Anna explained, still unable to contain her smile, "One of them was to spite him." She pointed to Sorrow, who was still stupefied, his jaw hanging open as he sat like a rock, even without breathing. "The second reason is, well, I'm quite interested too, to put it simply."

Sorrow's trance finally wore off, and the Shinigami let out a hiss of anger, "You! Young lady, how could yo- in front of me-"

"Anyway." Anna cut him off abruptly, "I have a lot of information through this near death experience. As soon as we get out of here, I will help you send Kira to execution. I suppose I should tell you though, what I've learned."

"I don't want to hear it right now." L declined politely, "When we get out of here, I'll get back to Kira. But not right now, please. I don't want to worry about Kira right now."

"Can I ask you something?" Anna said quietly.

L turned his eyes to the girl beside him, curious, "You don't have to ask." He replied. "Go ahead."

Anna laughed lightly and leaned against him, "So now that we're officially interested in one another, are we in a relationship?"

L took her hand and brought it in front of his eyes, his eyes dark and deep in thought. Gently, he locked his fingers in hers, caressing her hand.

"I would understand if you say no." Anna looked up at him, squeezing his hand. "I mean, what with Kira and everything that's going on. And don't feel pressured by the presence of these Shinigami either, please."

L chuckled lightly, and kissed her fingers, "They have nothing to do with it, believe me. I was always interested in you, Anna, you intrigued me since the day we met, though, I'm quite sure that was quite different from the intensity of what I feel now." He added, smiling, and kissed her fingers again. "What I'm worried about is the danger you'll be exposed to if our relationship becomes official."

"I don't think you know the entire situation." Anna explained, "I understand everything I'm getting into now. I am fully aware of the entire situation and I can tell you this. I am not in any danger whatsoever. These Shinigami have made promise to protect me; they will take out any danger that dares threaten my life."

"Then I have no problem with it," the detective's eyes burned with a new excitement, "Though I still advise that we keep low." He turned to face her, and found that she was already there waiting for him. He drank in every detail of her face, the way she smiled; ignoring the burning pain on his back, for it was all worth it. All he's been through, everything, just to be here at this moment, to drop the dead weight that he carried inside his heart.

Unlocking her fingers from his, Anna's hand brushed away his hair, her fingers trailing down his face to the line of his jaw, tracing the soft line of his lips, down his neck, and came to rest at his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart. She felt the thrill he harbored as she met his dark ebony eyes, which has finally become transparent to her, letting her read him as she willed. "Nothing will ever be the same." Anna whispered, everything changes, I don't want to lose the friendship we share."

L stroked her cheek gently, "We both know the pressure of the world around us, and we both know that this type of relationship never works out like regular people's happy endings, but I don't care. If I thought even for a moment what others would've thought of me, I wouldn't have rescued you from the law, maybe Alexander, but not the law. I don't care what others think."

Anna frowned, "I am an assassin L, and nothing you do will ever change that. But you are the world's best detective; your duty is to the people, not me. We're so different, like black and white, I've killed so many, and you…"

"Please don't tell me Anna that you fear for my reputation?" L looked at her earnestly in the eye. "I will not lose you over my reputation, besides, we'll keep quiet. And anyway, I don't exactly think we have a choice in the matter."

"Our feelings." Anna nodded.

"Yes, our emotions, they have broken free from their bonds. We can suppress them no longer." L answered, his hand tracing again and again over her eyes, her cheek, her lips.

Anna smiled, catching his hand with her own, "Let the world change, I'm ready to face a new challenge. Right now, I just want satisfaction."

Electricity seemed to whiz through the air around them as their lips eagerly met. L's fingers slid into her dusty hair tenderly, pulling her closer in the darkened space. She let her eyes close, and felt the gentle pressure of his lips moving with hers, she tangled her fingers in his messy hair, feeling for the smooth, flawless skin of his neck. Then their lips parted just as gently and suddenly, and they looked into each other's eyes, their feelings unrecognizable.

"This satisfies me." Anna breathed, laughing.

"Hm." L breathed against her lips, not objecting as they remained still, captivated by each other's presence. "Whatever satisfies you." He said, and kissed her again.

After all the effort that she put into suppressing her desires, Anna found that her heart was ignited at just a simple contact between them. L felt the weight of his emotions crash over him, knowing their consequence as his hands traced over every line of her features, memorizing every shape and curve of her skin and letting her feel the feelings he harbored since her miraculous appearance back into his life. She in turn, clasped her hand around his neck and pulled him tightly against her, feeling her heart beat with his in unison. She felt the release of his constantly masked emotions for her through his touch, yet also his careful restraint as he controlled his hands to be gentle on her, as if she was fragile, made of glass. She realized the tense control that he had always established when he was in her presence, and in return, poured out the feelings she had bottled up, kept under lock and key since the day she joined him in this endeavor. Their emotions were fully free of the bonds that have rigidly kept them under control, and L was right, nothing would ever suppress them back into the dark chasm they have created.

_Good thing I didn't shoot him._ She thought stupidly as she tried to draw him closer still, breathing in his hot breath as their lips parted for a fraction of a moment. But L's hands restrained her suddenly as he pulled himself away, disengaging himself from her hands. "Patience." He said, "Please."

"Sorry," Anna laughed, "That fine line between love and lust."

"Yes, we still need to keep ourselves in check." L grinned lopsidedly.

Sorrow smiled above them, "I'm glad to see you demonstrate control." He complimented the detective, "Something my daughter seems to lack."

"Daughter?" L puzzled.

"The Shinigami's promise was something my dad made for me before his death." Anna explained, "He paid for it with his own afterlife."

"So I suppose you found your real name?"

Anna nodded, "Yeah, I'm Sheila Faust, distant descendent of the guy who made a deal with the devil."

"Would you like to know my name?" L asked; his face expressionless.

Anna shook her head, "Only if it's absolutely necessary. I don't want to spill your name if I'm being tortured one day."

L grimaced, "Hm." He said. "Well, if we get out of here alive anyway."

In the small space, the Shinigami's eyes were tense as they observed each other's careful movement. Ryuk remained still, his yellow eyes haunting Sorrows as the other Shinigami did the same. They both knew the ending to this story. When L and Anna were found by Watari and the others, who knew nothing of the Shinigami's presence, the two escaped into the sky.

"The girl is safe." Ryuk laughed, "But I am deeply amused by the turn of events."

Sorrow's eyes were deeply burdened with misery as they flew towards a storm brewing in the distance. Lightning flashed, illuminating the Shinigami's dark forms as they flew on.

Ryuk laughed again, a ghastly cackling sound that send Sorrow deeper into his depression, "So this is what caused…the downfall of them both." The Shinigami grinned.

* * *

Author's Note: Right. Here i go again. Um yea, i got help from Torchy on this romance scene. Hope you enjoyed it. I also have a kind of survey question to ask, not that we have uncovered Anna's real name, should i just keep calling her anna for the heck of it or change her name?

And no...the story is not ending yet unfortunately, i have many other ideas to put into action! MUHAHAHA!!

ok i'll leave you guys alone now, please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

* * *

A breathe of wind passed by, brushing past the leaves of the trees, ruffled the glassy waters of the lake, and disappeared again into the air. Golden eyes gazed fiercely past the water and into the distance, deep in thought. The figure's hands clutched the golden arches of the bridge rigidly, the knuckles white. "I cannot stand it." The figure whispered as the light that wrapped around him disturbed by his aura.

"Gabriel." Another illuminated figure called from the edge of the bridge. "Be patient, you cannot be sure of what is to come."

"But she saw it." Gabriel snapped, and tightened his grip as if to control himself; "Lady Beth's visions have yet to be proven wrong."

The other figure's lips pressed into a hard line, "You've talked to her yourself. You are sure that's what she saw?"

"Yes." The question was answered as a ball of white light glowed on the lake, its blinding light sending out hard, pulsing ripples along the surface. A woman stepped out of the light, clothed in a stainless white robe. She walked along the surface of the water gently, each step forming circles that expanded before disappearing back into the waves. The light behind her solidified, then folded into a pair of brilliant white wings that reached from her shoulders to her feet. Her flowing blonde hair fell in a neat curtain to her back, tied at the end by a satin white ribbon. She opened her eyes, revealing crystal, almost transparent irises that allowed her the visions she saw. "Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Michael." She inclined her head politely at the two angels.

"Lady Beth." Both angels greeted.

Sadness clouded the angel's delicate features, "I'm sorry my visions have caused you such distress, Archangel Gabriel." She turned to the other Archangel, "But they are correct, that much is certain, and…" she hesitated.

"Yes?" Gabriel's golden eyes shined with anticipation for her answer.

"I've seen more." Beth's finished sorrowfully.

The atmosphere around the angels grew denser, "Please explain." Michael said.

"It's still not much." Lady Beth began, "I have yet to see the complete series of events that will come to pass from beginning to the end, but what I have seen troubles me." She paused, "It seems this girl will play a role in the tension between the Angels and the Shinigami. Specifically, Archangel Raphael- future wise of course- referred to her as the trigger of the war that rocked the balance of the spirits. I suppose this meant us, Angels and Shinigami, Heaven and Hell."

"You believe this to be true?" Michael questioned, "Were there proof in your vision?"

"Yes." Beth nodded, "We stood upon the cliff that looked outside our kingdom. Four of the Seven Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel and I. Remiel, Raguel, and Zerachiel guarded the other side. It was then that Archangel Raphael spoke the words. "She's the trigger that will unleash the wrath of the Angels and the Shinigami, her decision has rocked the balance of the spirits, and we will go to war."" Beth paused here, her face twisting into a grimace, "I only saw a little more, but I was sure of my vision, thousands, millions of Shinigami crowded at Hell's Gate, ready to attack us. We have prepared too, the Angels, with their gleaming swords, ready to fight. But the Shinigami were led by a peculiar character, a Shinigami that wore a shape so close to a human's, and who's right eye blazed with white fire like mine. Her spirit was strong though she did not wish to fight; I felt my own tremble in the face of hers."

"Did you see her face clearly?" Michael asked, "Is she the girl we have been watching after?"

"I-I don't know." Beth stuttered, "I didn't get a close look at her face. Besides, she had half a Shinigami's bone mask…it was difficult to catch her features."

Gabriel's expression twisted into anger, "That girl is innocent, and she possesses a visionary eye like Beth! I will not lose one of our most powerful Angels for those rotting corpses to use as they wish! Even as a human-" the archangel's eyes narrowed, burning like fire, "I knew you could sense the power she holds in her strong spirit, I felt it too, and it was astounding, it was passionate, as close to the Archangels as it had gotten since our battle in Hell. I will not give her up to the Shinigami!"

"Calm down Gabriel." Michael thought deeply, "Of course we will try to call her, but she herself makes the decisions in the end."

"How can you stand the injustice, Michael?" Gabriel exclaimed, and Beth took a step forward to comfort the furious archangel.

Michael sighed, "We all know you are the Lord of Justice, Archangel Gabriel, and that the slightest bit of injustice irritates you. We also know that this is not minor injustice, but major, huge, titanic injustice, but please, be reasonable, the humans decide for themselves no matter how hard you try to call them. We play no part in their decisions. God has given them free will, after all."

"I apologize." Gabriel closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his wings flaring behind him, calming him down.

"Perhaps we should visit the Shinigami Realm, and speak to the Shinigami King." Michael thought to himself, "Perhaps we can negotiate something."

"Like what?" Beth sighed, "Please, Archangel, but I think we both know that the Shinigami has long sense stopped all contacts with us Angels. Even with the three of us, or all Seven Archangels, we would still never stand a chance at the armies and armies of Shinigami that will eventually tear us apart."

Gabriel shook his head, remembering the deadly enemies that lay far beneath Hell's Gate. "But…she would make such a powerful angel, we could very well be the Eight again…this time, we could fight on par with the Seven Sins and Satan…" he trailed off.

Michael's eyes turned fierce and sharp, a blazing icy blue, "Listen, Gabriel." He walked up to the other Archangel, "No one could ever replace him and make us the Eight again, or the original Eight anyway. He chose to betray us, which was his decision; the girl cannot replace our Eighth member. The Eight were created from the beginning of time, born spirits…she is not, she cannot…I don't know."

"Tensions are also growing between the two Realms." Beth said, her voice overlapping with grief, "The line is bound to break soon, peace shall shatter into endless pieces of a flitting dream." Beth's silvery eyes looked up to the two archangels, "Forgive me, those were Archangel Raphael's words as well, from an earlier vision."

Gabriel laughed half-heartedly, "Full of quotes isn't he?"

"I wish we could do something for the girl." Michael closed his eyes, "But the promise was not made with us, if only it were." The archangel's wings unfolded, catching the wind that grew throughout their conversation. Dimly, the feathers of the great archangel's wings glowed, then became brighter and brighter, finally enclosing the angel in a ball of radiant light. "I need to go see Lady Alicia, perhaps her brilliant mind and instinctive nature can aid us. Gabriel, don't be too rash, and I hope you do find a way." With his final words, the light began to fade, leaving but an empty space where the Captain of the Angels once stood.

"I'm afraid I must be leaving you too." Beth bowed slightly, "Take care, Archangel Gabriel." With that the angel returned to the shelter of light her wings created, and disappeared into thin air.

Alone once more, the Archangel Gabriel, Lord of Justice, stood motionlessly once more at the golden bridge. His eyes wandered endlessly over the waters, troubled and burdened with grief. Winds rose and fell, ruffling his robe and the feathers of his wings, sweeping into his hair and stinging his eyes. Hopelessness swirled around the ancient spirit as he pondered over the series of event that surrounded the girl he now saw in the portal that showed him the human world. Judging by her appearance in Beth's visions, things were going to start collapsing soon. They didn't even have a year. They had months, maybe even weeks, to find a way to save their home, and the girl's soul. If they did, they will be able to fight on par with the Shinigami, if not, they might not survive. God had decided to let the Seven Archangels defend their heaven, a trial for the true of heart. He would not change, or aid the decision of the girl, their battle were their own to fight. Gabriel closed his golden shimmering eyes, and his long, ancient memory returned him to the battlefield at the beginning of creation.

_The Shinigami cackled darkly despite his injuries, and Gabriel's sword flared with light. The Archangel looked at his friends, Michael, fighting gallantly with both Pride and their former comrade, Lucifer, was not doing well, the Archangel's usual confidence was not apparent in his eyes now. Remiel and Raguel fought side by side against Lust and Sloth. The two Archangel's aura shimmered, wavering. Remiel turned, locking his eyes with Gabriel, and gave him a reassuring look. _I can handle this. _Remiel's silver grey eyes seemed to say. Gabriel nodded, and turned to the archangel to his right. Raphael's light shone bright from him in power, his wings brilliantly white, brimming from power. The ancient archangel had yet to falter. Though his stance was exhausted, the archangel's power was strong and lasting. His opponent Envy, smiled wickedly, despite his battered form. Uriel was clearly having a hard time with Wrath, the Shinigami's overwhelming hate was slowly wearing down the archangel, but as Gabriel looked closer, he saw his friend's eyes, and they stood firm in faith. Zerachiel was probably the worst off, the archangel's stance was tired; his sword flaring a dull glimmer of silver and his features twisted with pain as Gluttony almost towered over him in his gigantic form. _

_I'd have to help him. Gabriel thought, after I defeat my own opponent. He turned his eyes back to the monster before him, Greed, a creature of injustice that irritated him to no end. Greed grinned, and the battle began again._

_The metal ringing of sword against scythe rang around the battlefield. Gabriel twisted his hand, and with a flick of his wrist deflected Greed's attack and sank his sword into Greed's shoulder, cutting in with its silver edge. Then the ancient spell on the golden center of the blade flared, burning off the rotting flesh of the Shinigami. Greed's lifespan decreased, and he swung his giant scythe again and again as the numbers drained from his life. The archangel jumped aside, dislodging his sword, and blocked the razor sharp scythe before it hit his side. The piercing sound echoed in the Archangel's ears, and Gabriel flinched, his eyes narrowed as all sound drained from him for a moment. Greed's rapid decreasing lifespan slowed to a halt, and began counting down as it normally would. Gabriel inhaled deeply to shake off the ringing in his ears, but Hell's cold air burned at his lungs, fighting him from within. The archangel narrowed his eyes; they fought at a disadvantage, again._

"_It would take more than that to deplete me of my lifespan, Archangel Gabriel." Greed cackled, just loud enough for the sound to resound in Gabriel's mind._

_Gabriel's golden eyes narrowed to slits. This battle will be long and hard. _

_00000000_

_Michael's blade was the last to fall, the Archangel breathed heavily, his strength spent. Falling to his knees, Michael jabbed his sword into the ground before him, supporting himself with it. Gabriel, Raphael, Remiel, Raguel, Uriel, and Zerachiel were in the same stance, their power waning. The Seven Sins, Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, and Envy lay collapsed before them, also depleted and down, neither side able to move._

_Lucifer, Satan, towered over them all._

"_Seven Archangels, Seven Sins." Satan grinned smugly, "So this is the power of my comrades. Michael, I will not forget, it is you who have driven me to this unholy, dark, cold realm. This time I will let you go. Next time, you will cease to exist, and who knows, maybe the Seven Sins will die with you. Maybe they won't."_

"_You don't fight fair, Satan." Gabriel spat, "But then, we should've expected this from you. You were the most proud archangel of all."_

"_I am a demon, since a few moments ago." Satan smiled, showing row upon row of sharp teeth, "But if you insist, Archangel Gabriel, Lord of Justice, I will give you a rematch. This will be but a…draw. When the tension is high again, we will fight. You can go gather your Archangels to as much extent as you wish, find as many as you can, shall we say. I will gather my Shinigami. Next time, present your numbers and we will fight, now that we both have time to prepare, I'll give you a _justified _death, as to your liking."_

_Gabriel clenched his teeth._

"_Angels, you gave done well, to drive me this far beyond heaven and the holy light." Satan smiled, "I almost miss the old days, in this cold dark realm. I guess I will stay here, as is my Lord's wishes. But the next time we meet. I will make one of your own bare their fangs against you. I _will _take over heaven."_

_The Seven sins wrapped themselves in their dark, skeletal wings, their eyes boring into each of the Seven Archangels as they disappeared along with this master. Foul, reeking air surrounded the angels as each of them breathed a sigh of relief. But the words of their old comrade lingered in Gabriel's mind. One of our own? He asked himself, pitting an angel against an angel? That's impossible! He wanted to voice thoughts, but a look at the shivering Zerachiel changed his mind. Raguel and Remiel supported each other to stand. The others did the same. Gabriel received a tap on his shoulder, and looked to see Archangel Raphael offering his hand, smiling gratefully, Gabriel took his hand and got to his feet. Michael stood on his own exhausted legs, returning his blade to the sheath at his back. "Let us return." The captain of the angels commanded, "Our mission is complete."_

_00000000000000_

The battle was fought at the beginning of time. Now after so long, they still had only the Seven Archangels. Satan had the Seven Sins, and himself. The girl would have to even up our numbers. Gabriel thought,, or she would ensure our demise. She was the one Satan saw, one of their own that will bare her fangs against them. Will that really be how it will turn out? Isn't there any chance of redemption for the girl at all? What the heck is the thing that will turn her into one of them anyway? As she is, even dead, she's innocent, her place was here. After what seemed like and eternity, the archangel sighed and closed his eyes. His white wings spread around him, the archangel vanished into the light, leaving the lake and the bridge abandoned, and empty.

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Author's Note: This is a bit of detour and foreshadowing, hope i didn't disappoint anyone. I was going to be a bit more dramatic and bloody during the Angel Battle scene, then i thought.

Angels don't bleed...

so i had a bit of trouble with this. I'll explain the battle system though.

The angel's sword is silver on the edge with a gold core. There's symbols, spells etc etc whatever you wanna call it engraved on the golden core that burns off the Shinigami's flesh. Depending on the power of the angel, each strike takes off certain amounts of lifespan off a Shinigami's lifespan. If the sword remains in the wound, the life span just keeps going down. When the life span reaches zero, of course, the Shinigami dies. For angels, in return, since they have limitless lifespan, being the holy creatures they are, it drains their "light" or "yoki" or "aura" or "spirit energy" or whatever you call it. When that reaches zero, they die, or, cease to exist, or whatever.

Yup. That's pretty much it, i'm still wondering about the blood...though...take a vote on it!

Review please!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

Also, I wanted to take "Ssh. Secret."'s advice and post a religious warning or disclaimer or whatever it is that you call it here. I mean no offense to anyone of any religion by the previous chapter and the chapters to come. I just thought, if there are Shinigami, why not Angels? Think of them as spiritual forces of good and evil, if you will. Also, i would like to thanks "person who is too lazy tolo..." the only person who voted...the Angel/Shinigami battles will now contain GORE!!! So, a warning for that as well. That's all i have to say for today, but i will no longer delay you with these words of no interest so...ENJOY!!

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3 DAYS LATER

"Yagami Light, you are under arrest for murder." Anna put the hand cuffs on the man opposite her, "Quite an understatement, don't you think?"

Yagami Light was dumbfounded as he saw Anna, alive and well, if a bit fragile. "Why are you-" he asked, but decided to make better use of what time he had left. "Why would you suspect me? How the heck did you come to that conclusion?"

"I think the question is, Light, how could _you_?" Anna questioned calmly.

"I am not Kira. I would never be Kira." Light said sharply, his eyes were real. "I want justice, but that would never be the way I would achieve it!"

_He's not lying…_Anna thought; I've never seen expressions so earnest and true.

"Yes you are Kira; your fingerprints were all over the notebook." L regarded him with his expressionless gaze, though Anna could tell too that the detective was uneasy. "Give up, Light-kun, its over. You will be put on to trial, and you will die in atonement for your sins. I expect your capture will be all over the news tomorrow, until then, I pray you find some kind of remorse in your heart, Light-kun."

"Anna, you believe me don't you?" Light stared at her, "You know me, and I would never do anything like this!"

Anna's will almost faltered against piercing rage. Either Light was really good at putting on this show, or he really isn't Kira. But he really does believe in what he's saying…

"Anna." L's sharp voice cut her off her thoughts, "Hand him over."

Light has to be Kira. Anna corrected herself, and dragged the protesting man behind her to the police.

_Yagami Light. Age 17 _

_Under arrest for murder on September 22, 2003_

_Details are as below: Yagami Light, also known as Kira by the public, committed a crime of large scale murders of many captured and free criminals. Also included in his murders are 13 FBI agents and a former FBI agent Naomi Misora. These crimes were committed using a lethal weapon called a Death Note. Two other known members were involved in this murder: Amane Misa and Mikami Teru. One of these two individuals was known by the public as the Second Kira. The rules for _the _Death Note will be recorded in a separate report._

Anna handed the report to L, "It's done." She said, "Death Notes really are terrible weapons."

"You're acting tough." L said.

"I am not." She hissed.

The detective let out an amused grin, "You're more scared of Kira that you let on." He said, "I can tell, remember?"

"You can guess." Anna used his words against him. She wasn't afraid of Kira; fear wasn't exactly the right word to put it. Even though she now possessed the same power, the power of the Death Note, she was also for the first time aware of the terrible possibilities that the notebook held. Her feeling of fear has evolved into something else, and she couldn't quite place it. "Now that the case is solved, where do you plan to go?" Anna asked, avoiding the subject.

"I'll leave Watari to take care of the things in Japan." L answered, "I was planning on going back, but now that the case is over, I see no need. I'll stay here in Britain."

"What about the trial?"

L grinned again, "I caught Kira, so I get to hold the trial wherever I want."

"You're acting like a spoiled child." Anna sighed, "What if they want to hold it in Japan? Most of the events took place there anyway."

"It shouldn't be too hard for the police to come to Britain." L shrugged, "I'll even provide the travel funds if it's absolutely necessary."

Anna made herself comfortable on a couch, "Why do you dislike Japan?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand your persistence in this, Anna." L mumbled.

"That's a first." Anna smiled, waiting.

L frowned, "What exactly are you so worried about?"

"What would you do to the person who deliberately planned and succeeded in killing me?" Anna asked suddenly, her expression glum.

L's eyes narrowed, "I wanted to kill my own successor because he made such a mistake." He answered. "But I do see what you're trying to say. Amane is in Japan, and I don't like it, and there's the certainty that the second note is in her hands."

"Exactly," Anna stood, "Light's fingerprints weren't the only ones we found on the Death Note, there were also Mikami Teru's and Amane Misa's. Mikami is dead, Light is searched and put away, but there are two Kiras, which means two Death Notes. Amane Misa must have the other one."

L turned to Sorrow, "What happens when the human doesn't want the Death Note anymore?"

"Their memories disappear." Sorrow replied. "The note can be passed on from one human to another. We Shinigami can pass it on for them."

"Light gave it up." Anna concluded, "he wasn't lying when he said he wasn't Kira, I could see it in his eyes. He has no memories of anything, he actually believed that he wasn't Kira." She hesitated, the grinned tauntingly, "I almost feel sorry for him, and to think, he would be a much more pleasant person if it wasn't for the Death note."

"The other Shinigami would've passed it to Misa now." L continued, ignoring her "And what's worse, if we want Yagami Light to testify to anything…we would have to give him back his Death Note."

"Which means our memories would disappear." Anna added, "Either way it sucks. I hate this rule."

"At lease now I know why you want to go back to Japan." L rolled his eyes and stood up, "So you want to find out what damage Amane can do."

Anna sighed, frowning, "There's that, but…" she hesitated, drumming her fingers against her lips, "I feel bad, taking Light away from her when she loves him. I know he's Kira and everything but…if Amane Misa really does love Light, then, I feel that I'm committing an unforgivable crime as much as I fear the damage she can do."

"I'd be a hypocrite if I said Light needs to be punished by law." L murmured, "I can see what you mean."

"I also need to be punished by law." She agreed, "But you wouldn't forgive the person who took me away, no matter the severity of my crime. That's a proven fact."

L stood, "But if Amane is the second Kira, she needs to be killed along with him." The detective tried to wrap his mind around duty and emotion, "Though I won't lie, there was but one fingerprint of Amane Misa's, which means that from our point of view, Mikami Teru and Yagami Light, should be the first and second Kiras."

"And we don't have the second note to clarify." Anna frowned, "If push comes to shove, they can probably argue that our fingerprints are also on there, though it won't hold up that much of an argument considering the quantity of fingerprints." They thought for a while, running the facts thoroughly in their mind.

"We need the second notebook to prove everything." Anna concluded, and could see that he knew the same.

L closed his eyes for a moment, his face was blank, though the assassin still felt the unease that he faced. "Fine, we'll go to Japan." He muttered, "After we recover."

"But-" Anna protested.

"No. You need to rest and heal your body and your lungs, just like I have to recover from the infection and lung damage we both took during the bomb blast." L looked at her hard, "Listen for once."

"Okay." Anna smiled, "So, while we're staying "here", where exactly do you mean? Sorry, but your workplace doesn't include much besides technology and sweets for your sugar needs."

"Oh, I have a house here." L grinned, avoiding her eyes, "In fact, we should probably go there now." He stood and offered her a hand, helping her up.

0000000000000000

"I half expected as much." Anna sighed in front of the gigantic white mansion, "The real thing is still much scarier though."

L shrugged, "Well, _I _call it house."

Anna tried to take her eyes off the giant form of the house, "And I'm speechless. I mean, you think being a detective, your "house" wouldn't be visible from ten blocks away."

L raised an eyebrow, "You would rather I lived underground?"

"Just thinking maybe a house smaller than the white house would be a little less noticeable." Anna replied.

L rolled his eyes, "I like the space. Now do you want to go in, or stand outside gazing at it and be sarcastic?"

Anna took a deep breath, "Just nervous."

"I don't have maids if it makes you feel better." L grinned, and took her hand, leading her up the white steps to the front door.

"Just get on with it."

L's grin widened as he grasped the gold colored handle and turned it, "Welcome." He smirked, and led her inside.

"It's good to see you back, Master Ryuuzaki." A man in a black suit took a slight bow, "Do you require any services?"

"Yes Paul." L replied, "I will give Miss Anna a tour of the house, when I return, I would like chocolate cake on the table." He tugged on Anna's hand, "Come on." He whispered.

"Of course, he does have butlers." Anna sighed; rolling her eyes.

"She's fine." L assured Paul, "Have Daniel prepare a room for her on the third floor please, she will be staying a while."

L led her away, "please act normal." He hissed, "As far as they're concerned, I'm a rich kid living with his grandfather."

"Of course." Anna hummed along.

They explored the five stories of the house together; mostly everything was white against black or vice versa in this gigantic "house", though there were exceptions to decorations. The technology in it also caught her eye, efficient, advanced, and, though cleverly hidden, very defensive. She also got to meet most of the household staff, Paul, Daniel, and Eric were the butlers employed, and they took care of most businesses around. The second most important staff, she guessed, was the kitchen staff, consisting of a girl around their age- Emma, and her helpers Jared and Croy. L left the cleaning staff for Anna herself to meet.

"How many people does it take to keep this house running all the time?" Anna asked, "They don't seem to be the half of it."

"Well, the butlers are just convenient," L answered, "I can't cook and Emma makes the best cakes in the world. Then there's cleaning staff, janitors, technicians etc. etc. There's more to it than meets the eye. I have a weapons storage on the 6th floor too; you can take a look if it interests you."

"Anna." A too familiar voice called, "You finally got here, and alive as well."

"Matt?" Anna's eyes widened as their last encounter came to mind; she hurried forward to give Matt a hug. "I didn't know you were here, good thing you survived the river."

Matt casually laughed, "No, good thing _you _survived. This guy punched Mello in the face over you when he came to Britain, well, so Near tells me."

Anna cast an incredulous look back at L, who merely dismissed it with a shrug. "Who else is staying here?" she asked Matt.

"Mello, Near and I are all staying here." He looked around and gestured to the wide space, "heck why not there's more than enough rooms, and far more luxurious than Mello's old mansion. Of course, Master Ryuuzaki still insists on addressing it as merely a "house"."

"No smoking in the house Matt." L narrowed his eyes.

Matt's expression drooped as L held out his hand, and he obediently tossed over the packet of cigarettes. "Well, I wanted to play some tennis back in the court, want to come? I'll even show you the huge places L spent fortunes on but probably skipped during the tour so he wouldn't scare you."

"Tennis court," Anna grinned as she nodded, looking over to a guilty and extremely frightened detective, "why am I not surprised."

"Looks like there is still a lot to show you," Matt smiled, "oh yeah, Near wants to see you, so it all works out."

L frowned, "I'll go see him later." He said, and shrugged.

"He insisted that he see you as soon as you got back." Matt said as the white haired boy appeared from the farthest room to the left. Near studied the three of them, and his eyes fell on Anna.

"Good to see you alive," he greeted simply, then immediately turned his attention towards L, "I understand celebrations are often follow ups for such a miraculous return from the dead, but I think we have more urgent matters at hand. There are problems; I need to speak with you."

L sighed, his dark eyes displeased, Near was usually not so tense. "Matt, I will take you up on your offer." He said to the bronze haired boy, "I will need to talk with my successor." He turned to Anna, "I won't be long, save my cake."

"Of course." She replied.

"Wait…what cake?" Matt asked suddenly. "Chocolate cake?"

L's face drooped again, "You and Mello ate my cake."

"That's a slight possibility." Matt replied apologetically, "I'll go tell Emma to make more on our way."

Sighing, Anna gave L a gentle nudge; he looked at her blankly, then turned and walked up the stairs to meet Near. "I want cake on the table before I come out of this conversation." He muttered crossly, and gestured for his apprentice to follow. And Anna, you should rest soon, or you won't be healed enough to go to Japan."

"Let's get going." Matt led the way, smugly pulling out another cigarette.

Anna smiled, "You're going to need this lighter." She pulled it out of her pocket.

Matt scowled, "When did you steal that?" he questioned.

"Just enforcing the rules," she shrugged and put it back in her pocket, "Now we can move on." She marched down the stairs, her pace fast, "We should hurry up and tell Emma about the cake before he gets out of his conversation."

"Hey I saved your life." Matt argued, following quickly.

"For which I am exceedingly grateful I assure you." She turned, a satisfied smile on her face, "but still doesn't give you permission to smoke in the "house"."

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L perched on the sofa in the study. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply as Near followed in, and shut the door behind them. When he opened his eyes, Near was already seated opposite him in similar fashion, a strand of his silver hair twirled around his fingers.

"Why haven't the police captured Amane Misa?" Near asked, straight to the point, "It shouldn't be difficult, that girl hasn't got enough brains to change where she lives; besides, she's so crazy pent up on revenge that she's done nothing but cast judgment."

"That's one of the reasons I'm letting her roam free-for the moment." L answered tonelessly, "Anna and I will be returning to Japan to do some investigating before her capture and sentence."

"So you intend on a surprise capture." Near frowned, contemplating his options, "It is safer than an out right attack to her."

L nodded, "There are also possibilities that she might make up something to get Light out of his death penalty sentence, and I want to shut off those possibilities by recording things she says. Also, she has obtained the Death Note Light passed on to her, which means she has a Shinigami with her and could very well have the Shinigami eyes as well. It's more difficult than you think."

Near's eyes narrowed, "That may be, but we can be protected from the Shinigami eyes. Possibilities or not the three of them, Yagami Light, Amane Misa, and the dead Mikami Teru have to be punished by law and sentenced to death. It doesn't matter which Kira is which."

"However there are only two Kira's and Amane can easily claim that she forced Light to carry out her work in order to protect herself." L argued, "Then things will get more complicated."

"I suppose you're intending to use Anna in your investigations." Near moved on, "One thinks you might be more cautious after last time."

L's eyes darkened, though his features were as composed and as blank as ever, "She's kept safe by a supernatural power even I cannot explain. But she is kept safe, and I can take care of myself."

"And I suppose you told her?"

"Yes," L said blankly.

Near nodded as a knock came from the door. "Enter." L commanded without looking backwards. The door opened, and a young woman walked in, carrying a tray of cake with coffee, and placed on the coffee table in front of L.

"Here you are Master Ryuuzaki." Emma smiled at them both, catching the gaze of the silver haired boy for a moment before Near looked away. "Would Master Near like anything? There's still some cake left if I need to bring it."

"No. Thank you." Near declined politely.

Emma smiled and nodded her head, "Master Ryuuzaki?" she asked timidly.

"Yes?" L picked up the fork and shoved some cake into his mouth.

"Miss Anna told me to tell you that she will be the tennis court if you're looking for her." Emma grimaced a bit, "I'm sorry but I also overheard your conversation about having her rest…and…"

L picked up another bite of the cake and sipped his coffee, "Thank you for your concern." He told Emma without looking at her, "Anna can do what she likes, you may relay that to her if you like."

"Of course, pardon my rudeness." Emma shyly inclined her head and smiled at Near before exiting the room.

Near closed his eyes and sighed, "I can certainly see the difference."

L raised his head, slightly puzzled, "What?"

"You punch Mello in the face for one and don't spare a look at the other." Near frowned, "It's not difficult to see how much she means to you. Emma's served in your household for a while hasn't she?"

L's eyes narrowed, "What's your point?"

"For once I believe I don't have one, and I believe you think I'm too young to comment on anything else in your relationship." Near grinned.

"Your right on that," L turned his attention to his cake, forking large pieces into his mouth.

Near leaned forward in his seat, catching L's eye, "Have you truly forgotten or just unwilling to accept the truth? You have responsibilities to more than just her, who else would've known where Mello lived and have come looking for you?"

L sighed and looked up at Near, "She's dead." He stated, and went back to his cake, unwilling to comment more.

Near sat back again, "So you think," he muttered, "Mello is unsure but it did seem like her. Of course, there's always a probability."

L finished his cake. "You know as well as I do what her condition was, days after days of medication. She couldn't survive a week, let alone all these years."

"What are the chances?" Near questioned, unwavering.

"One point five percent," L muttered under his breath.

"What were the chances that Light was Kira before this whole incident?"

"One percent," L sighed, "Look, they're different situations, and even if it was her, I can handle it, there's no problem here."

Near stood, "Very well," the boy answered, "I hope you're not making any move to go to Japan. After all, Mello told her you were operating there at the time being."

L shrugged, "Don't trouble yourself with my affairs, Near. I will remind you that just because things turned out this way doesn't mean I'm not professional on my job anymore. Rest easy Near, Amane and Light will be brought to justice."

Near nodded, "Of course, but I will take over the matter, if you should fail."

"Yes." L replied and stood, picking up his dish and headed to the door, "If you'll excuse me." He nodded to Near, and turned to the door, only to flinch back as a monstrous face poked through solid wood. Instantly calming himself with practice, L went through the door and closed it behind him, handing his dish to Daniel as he passed by. "Yes Sorrow?" the detective asked in hushed tones, "What is it?"

"I'm unhappy." Sorrow glared.

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Author's Note: I'm not entirely sure that i'm happy in this chapter, it was mainly foreshadowing and conversations. But i do promise more interesting things to come!! I'm REALLY looking forward to writing chapters 25 and over...by looks of things anyway.

By the way, did you know that this story was originally planned to end in a maximum of chapter 8? Things change don't they? I just kept adding stuff between the beginning and the end :D.

Please Review!

and due to "drug-ingestion-is-obvious"'s recent rants, if you REALLY hate me, go ahead and flame me. I hope it will help my inspiration burn brighter, and keep me warm in this cold, freezing land all the way up north here. I envy you people who have warm climates...mutter mutter So REVIEW!!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: i do not own Death Note.

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L closed the door behind him, "Whatever could've caused you such distress?" he asked sarcastically with a sigh, knowing the answer before it was spoken. 

The Shinigami accompanied him as he descended down the flights of stairs, "I was hoping you would press harder on the fact that she shouldn't be shattering her barely mended bones all over again."

"I could hardly be blamed for her rashness." L shrugged, "Besides, she can handle anything she gets into."

Sorrow's gaze intensified, "You don't know that."

L locked his eyes with the Shinigami's, "I might not, but she does. Anna knows herself better than I do. If she thinks she can handle it, she can. I trust her."

"I do not." Sorrow hissed, "it bothers me even more that Yagami Light's Shinigami follows her around everywhere."

L grinned, "First time I've seen a Shinigami that cares so much." His dark eyes glanced over the game as Anna and Matt sent the ball back and forth in the court, "But then again, maybe I haven't had my fair share of the supernatural."

"I wish you'd take better care of her." Sorrow murmured.

L paused and regarded the Shinigami's monstrous form, hovering beside him. Without a word he turned his attention to the court, where Anna was quickly finishing a game. Sweat dripped off of the girl's face, but her eyes had none of the weariness, they were excited, and a grin spread around her features.

"Sorrow, you've been watching her since she was little, in all this time, have you ever seen her this happy?" L questioned.

The Shinigami nodded, "Once…not too long ago…you know…under the stairs?"

L sighed at the Shinigami's reply, "When she's not romantically involved with me?" he rephrased, "Be serious, I would think you would treasure her happiness, fatherly as you are." He grinned smugly, and walked forward to meet Anna as she came off the court.

Anna walked quickly toward them, dabbing at her forehead with a towel." You tattletale!" she accused Sorrow angrily, her smile disappearing. "You promised to stay put!"

"I did." The Shinigami looked offended, "I waited where you left me, on the stairs until he came out."

Anna glared, her amber eyes narrowing into slits.

"I'm not angry." L shrugged, and explained, "If that's really what this is about."

The girl's face seems to light up, and Anna smiled widely, "I'd give you a big hug right now, but there's this…fence."

They looked at each other for a few moments of silence, their fingers interlinking between the metal wires of the fense.

Sorrow waved a scarred hand between them, "I'm going to ask that you kindly wait to romance her till I'm not here." He growled.

Anna released her fingers and turned her back towards the Shinigami, "Come on, Sorrow, privacy please? It's just a hug, and besides, there's this fence anyway."

"I know how quickly you can climb and jump that fence." Sorrow's eyes narrowed knowingly, "I don't think anyone is in any condition for hugs." He continued, pulling up scientific evidence that made both adults twitch with discomfort, "Given the structure of your ribs right now and the damage of lung tissue and diaphragm, not to mention the cuts that almost paralyzed his arms…."

"Sorrow," Anna cut him off, "If you weren't my dad I'd say shut up but as it is I'll say it anyway. Shut up…please."

Ryuk, perched on the referee stand, came over to join them with Matt, "Need some time alone?" the Shinigami cackled, spreading his dark feathery wings over Sorrow, who snapped his teeth and glared. Ryuk laughed again, and strained his neck towards Anna, "I won't let him interrupt." He said humorously.

Anna was disturbed, "Thanks." She told the Shinigami nervously and pushed his face away from herself roughly, "Anyone game?" she smiled. "After the way I brutally beat up Matt here."

Sorrow hissed, "I am seconds away from putting you in chains and forcing you to allow yourself to recover."

The assassin's eyes burned with hostility, "So there are disadvantages to your father being a Shinigami."

"I'm afraid I won't allow that," L replied to the seething Shinigami. "I won't have you taking advantage of my hospitality."

Matt laughed light heartedly as the angry Shinigami turned away. "She is really good. I wonder if you can beat her, Ryuuzaki." He used L's fake name, eyeing Eric as he walked by, paying them no attention. "Of course, Miss Anna's athletic prowess is as famed as it could get around here, I'd still love to see you play."

Anna beamed, "Enough flattery Matt." He punched the boy on the arm, "Maybe another day, I am a little tired. Plus," she eyed Sorrow, "He'd throw a fit."

L looked knowingly towards the Shinigami, who hissed at him. The detective grimaced and looked away. "Come on." He walked with Matt and Anna along the chain link fence to the door.

"Excuse me, Mello and I will be out, we're going to meet Cole and the others. There are still things to take care of back home." He smiled at them both, and found Mello waiting for him at the door. The blonde boy nodded to Matt, but did not look at Anna or L as he left quietly, after exchanging some whispered words with his companion.

Anna's eyes narrowed, "Is he mad at me?" she asked.

L shrugged, "I do imagine that it will be awkward for a while." He said quietly, "But really, it's not my business, so I won't interfere, however you would like to resolve this unpleasantness. It's sooner better than later, of course."

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Amane Misa sat at her table; her eyes were red, shadowed with dark bags that marked sleepless nights. A black notebook was open on her table, as she continually copied the names from her laptop onto the note, her eyes fixed on each person's face. She was beautiful once, her hair and pigtails draped around her angelically, her eyes wide and innocent, her skin smooth.

Now her hair hung messily around her shoulders, tangling, uncared for. Her big eyes seemed barely visible under her continually growing bangs, sore and tired. Her red lips were dry and cracked, unmasked by the usual red lipstick that she wore. There was no way to recognize Amane Misa anymore. Her fingers were dirty from pencil lead, her nails grew long, and dug into her fingers as she held the pencil and continued writing. She sucked the blood from her latest wound and continued writing. She was always skinny, model like, but now her skin hung loosely around her hands and fingers, her optimistic personality seems like it had never existed. Her clothes hung loosely around her, too big now that her starved body could not fill them.

A white, bony figure stood behind her, silent. They usually talked about many things, Kira, as well as other subjects to their interest, despite one being a Shinigami and the other a mortal. Now the Death God was silent, watching her _friend _suffer hopelessly from underneath her purple dipped bangs with her haunting yellow eye. "Misa." She finally whispered, only to be cut off by a wave of the girl's hand.

"Unless you have a good idea of getting Light out of jail and kill L, I don't want to hear it." Misa whispered hoarsely, "I'd like to use my energy to carry out judgment."

The Shinigami placed a hand on her shoulder, "Enough, Misa. Give up the Note."

Misa shrugged her hand off angrily, and turned to face the Shinigami with tears in her eyes. "Kill him for me, Rem…" she begged, "I wouldn't have to go through this if you would just kill him!" she clung to the Shinigami's bony hand, "Kill him…free Light! Please do it…for me…"

The Shinigami looked at the girl with her yellow eyes, "No." Rem replied, "I have no reason to kill him, and while you're my friend, he is of no threat to you yet."

"Is this what you want to see me like? Half dead and miserable?" Tears streamed from open eyes as she cried, "He might not be now, but he will be eventually, and he'll kill me, so why don't you kill him now?"

Rem's face was glum, "His fate is not in my hands."

"But that's what the Death Note is for!" Misa cried, "Changing fates, shortening lives! Why won't you kill him?"

The Shinigami's eyes narrowed, "I can not tell you. Let's just say we Shinigami do not like being in the servitude of a mortal."

Amane Misa wiped her eyes dry, silent, and went back to her notebook. "You wouldn't free Light either?" she whispered as she wrote another name.

"I've never been one to like Light." Rem replied, "I will, if you give up your Death Note and go back to living a normal life. I should've never passed Jealous' note to you, I see now the power of our Notes. The person who uses it will always be miserable…always."

"How would I know if you'll keep your promise? You'll just take the Note and leave, leave this whole world of sin behind. You'll leave me, and I won't know anything, I'll be…even more lost than I am now." Misa blinked her tears away, looking at the Note. "I want to write my own name…but…I can't give up on Kira, and Light."

"Let this go, Misa." Rem sighed, "You do not love Yagami Light; you love Kira."

Misa shook her head tiredly, writing down one name after another, back into her passive state where nothing mattered but her continuous judgment.

Rem sighed, "Just this once, I'll doom all of us Shinigami for additional years of service to a human. But not right now, when he is truly a threat to you, who knows, maybe you'll change your mind."

Amane Misa put down her pencil and stood up. "Thank you Rem," she whispered.

The Shinigami closed her one visible eye. "Just go eat." She sighed. "I'm making no promises, and not right now."

"He should be coming to Japan to get me any day now." Misa smiled, her eyes lit up as she pulled a donut from her refrigerator, biting into it as if she hasn't eaten in years. "Will you kill him then?"

The Shinigami looked out to the window. "Maybe." She replied.

00000000000

_Tap, tap, tap._

Anna woke with a jerk, the footsteps were only too familiar outside her window. She listened, and remembered what seemed like forever ago, when James and led her outside in the freezing cold and pretty much made her his prey. "Not again." She murmured, "Why now?" She whispered as she saw the shadow of waving branches outside her window. "Why always in the coldest and windiest days?"

Silently, she dressed in a black jacket and jeans, then, unwilling to wake the others and especially run into L, who wanders like a ghost at night, she jumped out the window. Her muscles ached from the sudden impact from the long, third floor fall, her barely mended fragments of bone screamed, protesting the sudden physical activity. Anna ignored it, and pressed on into the night.

The wind chilled her bones, she hated the cold, and much preferred the warm weather in America that she enjoyed in her days as a member of the FBI. Still, her mysterious visitor intrigued her, she didn't know if it was James, she doubted it, sense James would definitely not be allowed on L's security system. So it was interesting who would tap on her window and not just knock on the door.

She followed the sound and footsteps all the way behind the white mansion. A feeling stirred inside her, and she regretted not taking a gun, or at least a knife. She heard the footsteps come to a halt somewhere in front, and turning the corner, found a building attached to the house. It was made of clear glass, with steel steams and occasional brick to support it. A swimming pool.

Well, figures. She thought, the rich boy has a swimming pool. She looked at its markings. It was five meters deep at the deep end. She felt fear clawing at the back of her mind, and it surprised her. Her near death experience at the river must've made her even more sensitive to water than it did before. She wished someone was there with her, Sorrow, or Ryuk even. But the two Shinigami was told to leave her alone in her room, and for all she heard, was out for a night flight out in the country. "Convenient." She whispered to herself, and entered the glass building, keeping to the edges.

"Isn't it?" a familiar voice sent shivers through her spine.

Anna looked around, and felt arms wrap around her neck in…a friendly hug or a choke hold. She couldn't tell. "Of all people James, you're the only person who has ever sneaked up on me…twice." She took a deep breath, "How did you get in here?"

"Well…" he whispered in her ear, "Security is tighter inside the house than out, and, you probably didn't know but…I'm the one that breaks through all the security systems back with the team. Just like Cole was our genius electrician, I probably couldn't have broken in, but drawing you out wasn't too hard." He tightened his grip, "You were always curious, always my easy prey."

Anna chuckled nervously; she wasn't in any condition to fight, especially after the tennis match with Matt. "You can let go now." She said. "Mello would kill you."

James laughed in her ear, his eyes sparkled with amusement, "I don't' work for Mello anymore." He said, and tightened his grip again, choking her, "I work for the highest bidder. You almost broke my arm, and I'm really not one to forgive and forget. It surprises me that the brutal shooting you endured didn't kill you, and nor did the fall from the bridge, you must be quite the survivor."

"That's what bulletproof jacket and a blood pellet jacket create," Anna pulled at his arm with her hands, "a miracle."

"Stop struggling." He ordered, and she obeyed, knowing that at such a position he could knock her out with no problem with a blow to the neck.

James smiled, "Well, as miraculous as your escape may be, some people recognized that they had their chance for revenge. I was the one that told them you were still alive, of course. It's what I do."

"Not surprised." She tried to keep her voice tough.

James laughed, and hissed in her ear, "You haven't forgotten the thirty nine people you assassinated, have you? Well, being an assassin I suppose you're used to it but, how heartless of you."

Anna's eyes narrowed to slits as she stood still, immobilized, and without a weapon. Instinctively her assassin trained mind thought of all the different possible ways she could escape, but the water interfered with her mind, its lapping waves hungry. _Wait._ She thought suddenly. _Why are there waves? The water should be still, there's no wind here. _More shivers ran through her body as the waves grew more violent, James held her tight, one arm over her throat and the other restraining her hands at her waist.

Heads emerged from the water's surface, and she realized her mistake. These people had been hiding underwater with their re-breathers, knowing that she feared helplessness that one felt in a environment where one cannot survive, such as underwater. She had kept to the edges, and they had hid, waiting while James securely immobilized her. Quieting her mind's imminent fear and call for danger, she counted. Seven men, she thought, with James that's eight, eight strong men to fight without weapons.

Not good.

If she could break free, she probably had a chance. They didn't look to be extremely skilled. Of course, they had expected that, which was probably why they picked such a location. Anna wished that L would somehow stumble upon this pool; she just had to create enough noise to alert him, before these men, who now stood beside her, killed her. Hopefully.

"No one will be rescuing you." James whispered, "They're all asleep, and this pool is sound proof. Guess your boyfriend liked his quiet." He smirked and kissed her cheek, "I love it when everything works to my advantage. You can even yell if you'd like."

Anna let her head fall forward in a slump, as if losing too much oxygen to stay awake. She felt James' arms loosen, only a little, but enough. Anna spun on her heel and her hand shot up to grab his throat, turning, she threw him into the first man that came at her, and moved into a roundhouse to kick the other. The water that dripped off the men covered the floor, and she felt her footing slip before she regained it.

It was not a fair fight. Anna wrenched one man's arm behind him and heard a satisfying snap before pushing him into another one that came on her, causing them both to fall into the pool. Using the slippery floor somewhat to her advantage, she slipped around like a cat, her agile form allowing her to dodge under a swing and knee one man in the groin before elbowing another in the temple, they didn't get back up. She had just managed to block an uppercut and knock out a guy with a blow to the neck when she felt her legs swept out from under her, she felt one man restraining her arms behind her back, another held her hair at the scalp, and her face twisted in pain. James came up to her and held her chin so they eyes met.

"Stubborn aren't you?" he smiled smugly, he was the one that had tripped her.

"You'd all be dead if I were allowed to kill." She spoke truthfully, her stomach fluttering as she realized that they were stepping backwards, towards the water.

James laughed, "I know we would never be able to take you head on, and more men would just cause a commotion." He forced her to her knees with a kick to the stomach and flipped her on her back, pushing her shoulders against the edge of the pool. Her hair spread in the water under her head, and the assassin felt an overwhelming desire to live, it came in the form of fear.

"NO!" she screamed with her eyes wide, her knowledge cast aside by the water that swirled beneath her. "No! Don't! Please!" she begged, her armor cast aside.

James smiled, and put a cool hand on her burning forehead, and shoved her face into the water. Bubbles escaped her mouth as she screamed, her voice muffled by the water, her arms and legs twisted for release, and at last, James eased the pressure, allowing her to resurface.

Anna remained silent, her eyes gravely still as she gasped for breathe, the water pouring from her mouth as she coughed. "Stop it…" she hissed.

"Say please." James taunted.

Anna's amber eyes flared with hatred, but she felt her fear at the back of her mind, begging her to swallow her pride. "…please." She whispered.

James was genuinely surprised at her reply, "So even you have a sweet side to you." He murmured, his hand trailed from her forehead to her face, he patted her cheek, and his thumb traced her lips.

She tried to bite him, to no avail.

"Vicious." James withdrew his hand, "I liked it better when you said please, come on, say it again."

"In your dreams." She hissed, and spat into his face.

She could see his face twist into anger, and felt a tiny spark of joy at his humiliation. James had obviously seen her smirk, his expression twisted unimaginably, and she prepared herself as he once again shoved her under the water. _No fear. _She thought to herself, but as time went on, her lungs protested, and again, against her will, her body twisted and thrashed, seeking freedom.

James held the back of her neck, his features composed again. "How wonderful a weakness," he licked his lips as he helped her stand, making sure that her arms were carefully restricted. "I'm not interested in you at all, don't get me wrong." James explained as his hand closed around her neck, "But I do want to make your corpse a dramatic display of cruelty. You deserve it, after all the people you killed, I don't really know why you're fighting against me at all, it's justice, isn't it?" he moved his face to speak by her ear, "I'm just doing what the justice system failed to do."

Seeing her chance, the assassin sank her teeth into his neck, and brought her knee up to kick him. James recoiled with the sudden pain, but she held up tight with her teeth, fastening them into his flesh as thick coppery blood filled her mouth. The two men at her side grasped at her hair and neck, forcing her back, but she ignored them and kept her jaw tight. The blood in her mouth had aroused an old feeling, one she thought she had lost long ago. For the first time in many years, Anna felt blood lust. She bit harder, and James screamed as his fingers clawed at her face.

"What the hell are you?" he cried as he tried to push her away, "You _monster! Freak!_"

_Freak?_ The names people used to call her flooded her mind, and she felt her jaw unclench, releasing her victim, who backed away, clutching at the blood that still pulsed through the wound. Anna composed herself and spat out his blood, "You're the freak." She whispered, "Your blood tastes disgusting." She tried to break free of the men that still restrained her, but their hands held tighter than ever, she could feel the circulation stop, her arms going numb.

Seething, James stepped forward, "Looks like you still got plenty of fight in you." He fumed, "How 'bout we diminish that spirit? He gestured to the two men, and again, they tried to force her to her knees."

"I…am not a toy that you can play with." Anna whispered, the sight of his blood stirred up darkness inside her, and pushing back the fear, her assassin past surged up to meet her. "I've had enough." Biting her lip, Anna closed her eyes and twisted, feeling the sharp, unbearable pain as she heard her own arm snap, but she was free, and her other arm shot forward to punch James in the face. She kicked the two men with a roundhouse, and ran, cradling her broken arm as it sent pulses of pain throughout her body.

One of the men lying on the floor grabbed at her ankle, and dragged her to the ground; she struggled, kicking him in the side of the neck. Despair flooded her, and she tried to run again, but in less than a second; James wrenched her up by her hair and dragged her to the water's edge. She struggled vainly, her broken arm dangling uselessly beside her as she had no choice but to follow. "You little (insert swear word of choice here)," he swore, and returned her punch, sending her out to the water's surface.

Two of the men that had recovered stumbled over to him. "Drown her." He ordered, and they dived, their re-breathers in their mouths.

Her adrenaline from her dark past deserted her as fear clawed its way back to the surface. Anna struggled for the surface, but years of practice and her finely tuned muscles seem to do her no good, even in this controlled environment. Her mind was overwhelmed with fear, a desire to live, and that feeling intensified as she saw two more dark forms break the surface. They pulled at her hair and arms, sending her down further and further into the water. Her lungs ached for air, her brain screamed as her muscles protested fiercely. She could feel her body dying from lack of oxygen as she continually reached for the rapidly fainting light, beating against the arms that kept her.

_Why is dying a surprise every time?_ She thought stupidly.

_Maybe you should just die. _The familiar, sickening voice said sweetly. _You should've last time._

Her lungs could hold no more, she saw the bubbles burst from her mouth as water entered her lungs, choking her further. _I can't believe I'm near dying again…_she exclaimed to herself, finding nothing better to do than to have an imaginary conversation with her, what, soul? _This time you're dying in L's own house too. _Her soul replied. _That's really something._

Something whizzed past her, and she was surprised to find the hand that held her shoulders down release her. Red mist filled her eyes as she felt the pressure released from her arms and hair. But she did not rise; she felt the tiles beneath her tired feet at the bottom of the pool.

A third dark form entered the water, but her vision was unclear and she could see nothing but a blurry shape taking hold or her arms. Her weak arm could not keep him away as wrapped his arms around her and tightened his grip, forcing water and the last bit of air out of her lungs and through her mouth. Again she struggled, fueled by her fear, and then a hand grasped the back of her head and pulled her closer. Warm lips covered her own as she felt life pulse through her veins again, her savior held her at the waist with one hand, and helped her rise to the water's surface.

"Let go!" she struggled, her eyes closed, "Don't touch me!"

A strong arm brought her thrashing arms to a halt as she heard a sigh of relief, "Its okay." L whispered in her ear, "No one's going to hurt you, James is gone." Confused but obedient, the girl relaxed, allowing L to tow her limp body to the edge and pull her out of the water.

"Anna, are you alright?"

The assassin forced her eyes open and looked upon L's face. She tried to speak, but water welled up in her throat and she coughed relentlessly. His hand guided her as she lay down on the cold tiles, she breathed easier. But she could still do nothing more than shiver uncontrollably, she could tell from his expression that terror was the only thing he saw in her eyes.

"Coincidence." He explained, his long pale fingers stroking her face, as he answered her unspoken question. "I thought about teaching you…to overcome your fear. So I came here and found James and his band of avengers. Of course, he was the only one standing on the shore. I grabbed a pistol- I have them everywhere- and shot him and the two people holding you underwater. They climbed out when I dived, Mello and Near should have them."

Anna nodded, still coughing and shivering. She felt warm tears stream from her eyes, out of relief, or whatever it was, she didn't know.

L grinned, "No, of course they're not dead, none of them are, Mello took them away in handcuffs when I dived. I can't believe people tried to kill you here." His eyes turned hard, "In my own house. Not that they know…but they have some guts."

She excreted the last bit of water from her lungs. L shook his head and wiped the water from her face, and helped her sit up. "Do you mind if I take your jacket off? You'll catch a cold."

Anna nodded, and tried to unzip her jacket with a numb hand. She felt his hands gently prying her broken arm from the sleeve, and though it wasn't really the time, she felt blood rush to her face, and was glad that she always wore black shirts, and not the white ones that went see through once wet. He pulled her on to his lap and hugged her, keeping her warm with his own body. "We'll stay here until Mello and Matt settle things out there." He said.

"James…" she tried to speak, her lips were blue with the cold, and she felt that her muscles were strangers she couldn't command. Tears continued to stream from her closed eyes as pain and cold caused her to shiver.

L's eyes hardened, "I really did want to kill him." He glared into the distance, "but he's not mine to deal with. Mello will decide what to do with him."

Unable to speak, she nodded, and leaned closer to him. Droplets of water dripped from his wet hair onto her face. He held her tight, keeping them both warm in the cold.

"How hurt are you?" he asked, examining her.

Anna looked at her broken arm as the burning pain drew her attention once more, she shivered with the cold, and at the sight of her twisted arm that lay looked as unnatural and things could get.

"Just your arm?" L asked, and she nodded. "Well, it could've been worse, and Sorrow's going to kill me."

Anna's lips twitched up in a smile.

* * *

Author's Note: I am so proud of myself. This is probably the longest chapter i've written (13 pages on word document) in the shortest amount of time! (3 days) 

I have to tell the story of Anna's survival back at the bridge so people don't get confused. She, she wore a shirt, and a blood pellet jackt over that. (i read about that type of equipment somewhere.) blood pellets are pretty much brittle tiny pellets that when broken, spill a large amount of red liquid. To fool people, i believe. Over that, she had a bulletproof Jacket. Her pants were pretty much the same way. There fore, when she was shot, it looked like she was dying, which she wasn't. Well, she kinda was cause the impact of the bullet will break many many many bones. So there you go.

The outfit was given to her by Matt if anyone paid attention...

I was going to break this into two chapters, but i was feeling generous D

Lastly, hope you have enjoyed and please review. While i reread this, I was kind of disappointed over the fact that she was almost murdered in L's house. Tell me what you think of that. I was also laughing quite hard when she bit James on the neck like a vampire. I love vampires...but I won't keep you from reviewing. Those were just the two things i wanted to hear about.

Me: ok, so she couldn't do anything else...so...she bit him...hmmmm...now why is that almost funny...


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

Sorrow was speechless.

L faced the Shinigami outside Anna's bedroom door. "Again, I could hardly be blamed for her rashness." He said, "I guess you should be thanking me I saved her."

The Shinigami hovered, speechless. Finally, he said, "Am I supposed to blame this on her?"

L scratched the back of his head, and then pocketed his hand again. "Actually, I believe she was going to blame it on you."

"Oh." Sorrow walked through the wall into her room, L walked away, unwilling to listen to the conversation.

Anna sat on her bed , her left arm in a sling, and stared at the Shinigam. Sorrow stood before her, "Remind me why you had to almost get yourself killed on the night I went to fly?" Sorrow asked, "At least try to make our job easier."

The assassin glared at him, "That's exactly right. You Shinigami were supposed to keep me _safe_ and I've been almost dead three times. _Three times_!"

"We don't keep you from harm." Sorrow answered with a shrug, "We keep you from Death, that's our job."

Anna rolled her eyes and sighed, "Don't give any of us a hard time. I'm not injured that badly." She looked to her snapped arm, "Shouldn't be that bad, I'll compromise."

Sorrow opened his mouth to speak.

"No." Anna said.

"I didn't say anything yet." Sorrow narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry." Anna smiled, "I'm just telling you beforehand that I'm not staying here, I'm going to Japan, you can come, or you can stay here, its your choice." She playfully tugged at her hair, "I know Ryuk's coming."

The Shinigami hissed, leaning closer to her, "I'm only trying to help you." Sorrow said, "But I must say, pup, I'm running out of patience."

Anna's eyes turned cold and hard, "I'm not your pup." She told him, "I've never known you; it is _impossible_ for you to turn up and expect to rule my life because you say you're my father."

"I became a Shinigami for you." Sorrow croaked angrily, "I became this _monster _that lives off human sufferings, for you."

"And the Shinigami's interference has made my life a living hell!" Anna snapped, "I was tortured, experimented on, used, brutally shot again and again, put a trial, faced executioners, kissed a guy who I wanted to kill, played with the mafia, got shot again, nearly drowned, nearly blown to pieced with a bomb, and nearly drowned again."

"I tried." Sorrow said earnestly, "It's not my fault your mother and I were taken on that bitter wintry day, and she was shot dead. I was ill, and I tried to do the best I could before they shot me too! The only redemption I gave myself was the fact that you had escaped while we were taken, that luckily, you were away."

Anna shook her head, "I am still going to Japan." She said, "you do your job, protect me, and I'll do mine."

"Which is?"

"That's none of your business." She whispered with a glare, "Now leave me alone."

L, walking by a slightly annoyed Shinigami, paid little attention to Sorrow's mutterings and walked towards Anna's bedroom. Judging by situations, he was 78 sure that they had some sort of conflict, and was curious as to what it was. However, after knocking on the door and receiving a hasty "Come in.", he found Emma, holding down Anna's feet while she did sit-ups.

"Hey." Anna greeted, her good arm behind her head and her injured one resting on her stomach in the sling.

L eyed them both. Emma smiled back nervously.

"Sit-ups." He observed, "Will you excuse us?" he eyed Emma.

Anna rolled her eyes as Emma got to her feet and left them. "Come on, I had to work out after such a long time of being spoiled, and we all know what it would look like if one of your butlers was here instead."

L smiled and knelt down to hold her ankles as she continued. "Are you still coming to Japan?" he asked, "No offense, but I do think Sorrow may be right. You could stay here if you wanted."

Anna sighed and shook her head, "Cause that worked so well last time you stayed in Japan while I came here. I'm going."

"I figured." L shrugged, "But the trial is going to happen before you're healed."

Anna nodded, "I'm willing to make a compromise."

"What?"

"I'm going to Japan, but I won't partake in the trial, or do any sort of investigations until I'm at least somewhat healed." she paused to take a break, "That won't be much of a problem, it's going to take a long time to pass the trial, especially if Light really has lost his memories."

"I know you have a good regenerating system but even you can't heal that fast." L's eyes narrowed in a frown.

Anna grinned, "I've been drugged and experimented on more that you can believe. There are at lot of chemicals running through me."

"The fact that it doesn't seem to bother you kind of scares me." L admitted.

Anna laughed, "It can't do much when your lifespan is put on hold."

L grinned, "I didn't know you would ever take a break willingly."

Anna shrugged and proceeded to her one hand push ups, her injured arm behind her back. "Well, I'm not taking a break willingly, but I really can't do much with a broken arm. I hate being disabled."

"I have a gym." L told her, "If you're interested."

Anna shook her head, "See, I always figured that it would be better if I worked at my own pace." She explained, "Besides, the machines from my past haven't been exactly friendly. It's not a problem really; I just don't find them useful enough for me anymore." She sighed, staring at her broken arm, "This sucks…I can't do back flips with one arm…"

L grinned, "Take it easy." He said as a gentle knock came on the door.

"Master Ryuuzaki, I believe you have a meeting with your grandfather?" Daniel said, holding the door open.

"Yes." L stood, "I will leave in a moment."

Daniel gave a slight bow and closed the door behind him. Anna rose to her feet, "You're going to see Watari?"

"Yes," L replied, and then as Anna opened her mouth to speak again, he shook his head. "No, you can't."

The assassin frowned, "I didn't say anything."

"You can't come with me anyway." L smiled, "Sorrow won't allow it."

"Sorrow is getting to be a pain." Anna seethed, "I can always threaten him…"

"I don't think that would be a good idea." L replied, as she walked him to the door, giving him a tight hug. Awkwardly as always, the detective returned the embrace. "I also feel the need to insist that while it's okay _here._ We need to be strictly professional when we do go to Japan if we are to be taken seriously, at least until the case is over. What with Kira caught and death by cardiac arrest still going on, we'll be doubted enough as it is."

"Of course, I understand." Anna reassured him, and hugged him again, "I'll be making up for my missed opportunities now then."

L grinned and shook his head as he left, "Whatever you say."

With him gone, Anna thought about her day and decided that it was best that he go to the gym after all; maybe find Matt for some company, or for permission to interrogate her attackers. She might see Mello too. Anna felt a bit of unease as she thought of the blonde boy. Last time they had seen each other, he was trying to get her killed. Still, living in the same house and trying to avoid each other is ridiculous beyond words. She would have to try and talk to him.

Without a second thought she made her way down to the gym that Matt had showed her yesterday. No surprise, Mello was there. Anna grinned as she thought of L. He was the one who suggested she should come; he knew Mello was going to be here, that devious detective. "Hey Mello." She said, drawing a flinch from the blonde boy as he turned to look at her.

What she saw surprised her, for there was a scar plastered over the left side of Mello's face. "What happened to your eye?" she questioned, quickly walking up to him as she examined it closely.

"It's nothing." Mello said, "Excuse me, I was just leaving."

Anna grabbed his arm, "Let's face it, you can't avoid me forever, not when you're one of L's successors and I'm, well, his girlfriend, especially not when we're living here in the same house. What happened to your face?"

"Just leave me alone." Mello replied coldly, trying to free his arm.

"No." was Anna's steely answer.

Mello tried again to jerk his arm free, but found that the girl, though shorter than him, had a harder grip than he had imagined. "Why the persistence?" he asked hopelessly.

"Maybe because this whole thing is getting ridiculous like I said!" Anna exclaimed, "I was acting on orders, and you were acting on instinct to kill me, it's not your fault, so stop avoiding me already!"

"Fine." Mello replied and tried again to free his hand.

Anna didn't let go, "What happened to your face?"

Mello's voice was uncomfortable, "It was burned when I had to blow down our hiding place. It turns out that some of Kira's followers and the police have followed us there after…the incident at the bridge. I escaped, as did everyone else, but I was caught in the explosion." He was quiet as he spoke, "I'm sorry for my actions, it was just an assumption. As Near says, "investigations are based upon assumptions, when you're wrong, you just have to say "sorry". I'm saying sorry now."

Taking in a deep breath, Anna nodded firmly, "Of course, it was partly my own fault. I don't blame you, Mello; I would've done the same thing." She took another breath, "Now, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Mello nodded and grinned, "Just, heal your arm and get taller before you try to threaten me again."

Ignoring the comment, Anna walked with him out of the gym, "What do you plan on doing today?" she asked, "The Shinigami wouldn't let me out of the house, but I'd wager you know some secret tunnels or something in this maze of a house."

"I might." Mello replied slyly. "But I'd hate to get punched again just because I aided your escape while L was away."

"He doesn't have anything against it. It's only the Shinigami that wants to keep me in." Anna explained, "Please, Mello? You know I would find a way out eventually anyway, isn't it better that you come along in case something does happen?"

"Great, a Shinigami, that's even better." Mello looked around, searching for the rotting image of Sorrow.

"Oh come on, Mello. It's the least you can do after trapping me on that bridge."

"I thought you forgave me!" Mello exclaimed, "This is so unfair!"

"Life is never fair, friend." Anna smiled smugly.

Mello thought for a moment, then sighed, "There's no arguing with you is there?"

"I tend to get what I want." Anna replied.

The blond boy laughed and shook his head, "I guess I can keep you entertained until he gets back. Come on."

Smiling, Anna followed him up the stairs, all the way to the top floor. Then Mello walked to the end of a hall, a dead end, or so it seemed like until he opened a cleverly hidden panel and punched in some codes, revealing a doorway that led up. To the roof, she guessed. Mello did know secret ways that L built into his house. For defensive purposes, she thought.

As she guessed, light from the other side quickly transformed to a wide space on the roof. The sky was a cloudless blue around her, a sunny day; she had forgotten when she last enjoyed the weather like this. Then, Mello's quick wave from the edge drew her attention, and she walked silently over, peering over the rail like Mello. "Do you know who they are?" Mello asked, pointing to the people the curiously began to surround the building.

"Uh. No." Anna replied

"Any idea why they're surrounding us?" Mello asked again.

"No. But they could be trying to kill me, like the last ones." Anna guessed.

Heaving a sigh, Mello took a step back and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Alice-no sorry, Anna, be honest, how many people did you piss off enough that they would try to kill you?"

"Thirty nine." Anna answered with a nervous laugh, "Excluding Kira."

"We caught a group last night, now here's another one…that's thirty seven more groups of people that are probably planning to kill you at this very moment. Excluding Kira." Mello counted, "If they have seven or eight people in each group, that's almost three hundred people that's coming after you. Damn, I'm going to kill James, how many people did he tell?"

"A lot." Anna simply replied. "Ugh why can't people just leave me alone?"

Mello looked at her sarcastically, "I'm taking a ramdom uneducated guess here but...revenge...maybe? Slight chance?"

"Oh shut up." Anna rolled her eyes, "but come on. Thirty seven groups! I even regretted what i did! This just goes to show that you should never leave a single member connected to the targe alive. Ever."

Mello shrugged, "You'd have to kill an awful lot of people."

Realizing that they were plainly chatting while a mob of people wanted her dead downstairs, Anna observed the men once again. "Shouldn't we do something about, you know, them?" Anna pointed down the roof to the men oblivious to what was going on above them. There they were, like ants when looked upon from such a height, scurrying around the corners and waving to each other silently in a crazy frenzy. "They don't seem to be very skilled." Anna observed, and then winced as two of them crashed into each other while trying to turn corners. "Or organized, I think we can take them."

Mello nodded, "We probably can, but you should stay here, heck L really would kill me if you broke another arm or leg. So, do us both a favor, stay here." Walking across to the wall, some more fiddling with codes and Mello had two guns in his hands, one of which he pocketed. Then without another moment, the blond boy had swung himself off the roof.

The assassin sighed, "You're so obvious Mello." She muttered under her breathe as she watched him land and roll, startling a man as he was checking around the corner. He was, as she predicted, quickly knocked unconscious as Mello got to his feet. Turning, she walked around and grabbed two more guns from the box that Mello had purposely left unlocked, tucked one in her pocket, and swung easily over the rail with her good hand. The fall was exhilarating, Anna smiled as she felt a rush of adrenaline power through her, then her foot met solid ground, and she fell into a forward shoulder roll. "Like I would ever listen to you, Mello," Anna sighed.

With a gun in her hands, it wasn't hard for Anna to sneak behind three men. She shot one of them in both knees, and then rolled to the side a second before the other two fired their weapons. Apparently, this was the reaction that most people made when one of their comrades were shot. It was almost a routine thing to do, and very easy to predict.

As she rolled, she fired two more bullets, both of which found their mark, crushing her opponent's knees and rending them immobile. The third man turned and ran, but bumped into Mello, who jabbed the butt of his gun in the man's temple in one fluid motion. "I thought I told you to stay put." Mello said, and shot someone who just came around the far corner in the knee without taking his eyes off her.

Anna stood up and dusted the dirt out of her clothes. "Yeah right, good try Mello, but no luck, maybe next time."

"I never doubted you for a second." Mello laughed.

"What's with all the noise?" Matt stuck his head out of the third floor window, and saw the four unconscious men lying on the ground. Anna waved; the gun still in her hand. The bronze haired boy laughed, "WooHoo! Save some for me!"

And so, within the next five minutes, Anna, Mello and Matt have captured the fifteen men that surrounded the building without breaking a sweat. Mello crossed his arms as he surveyed their catch, immobilized with ropes and lying in a horizontal line in front of the door where they dragged them. Half of them were unconscious, and the other half, due to Anna's exceptional gunmanship, were clutching their knees and screaming too much to be of any real threat. He was unharmed, as were they, though that might not be the case if Matt keeps attempting to light that cigarette in celebration of their victory.

"Hey Matt," Mello finally ordered, "Stop it, I'll take you to a bar later."

That resolved, the three simply guarded them and watched them groan in pain, re-knocking out those that regained consciousness after a while. Near had come out the door once, the white haired boy looked at the fifteen men, blinked exactly twice, turned around, and walked back into the house without comment. Sorrow and Ryuk had stumbled upon them too, Sorrow gawking for a total of three minutes and twenty seconds before turning around and floating wistfully away and Ryuk simply laughing to hard to do much else. Eventually, the three decided to simply enter the house, sit in the living room and watch the men from a more comfortable environment, re-directing any oblivious cook or butler that strayed close to the front in their daily chores.

Even L didn't know what to say when he found his surprise present lying in the front of his door. After pausing for a moment to think silently to himself, the detective decidedly walked around them, up the stairs and opened the door for himself before any dedicated butler decided to do so and just as quickly, slipped it shut behind him. He didn't pause to talk to Mello, Matt, or Anna as he strode past them rather quickly to the phone.

"Watari, yes I'm fine. But I need clean up, quickly, if you please." L said into the phone, then nodded, "Thank you." and hung up.

That done, he perched on the couch opposite Mello, Matt, and Anna, "Okay what happened?" he asked, then raised a hand before they answered, "Scratch that, is anyone hurt?" he paused again, "Scratch that." He waited for a while, contemplating what question would be best to ask and how he should phrase it. After a few minutes of asking himself whether the people sitting opposite him are sane, L gave up. "James?" he asked, and Mello nodded. L thought some more, "So there are probably thirty seven more people that'll be attacking my precious house. It's not a very safe place anymore, so we'll be going to Japan tomorrow, any questions?"

When no hands came up, L nodded and stood, "Tell Emma I want cake." He told Matt, then turned to Anna, "I want to see you in your room young lady, yes, you're in trouble."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry this took awhile. I was having blocks. I must stop procrastinating! Technically I took a detour cause I accidently snapped Anna's arm in the last chapt...but it couldn' t be helped. It was a last moment thing, the whole incident with James. Not very well planned at all and i apologize.

I put a lot of sarcasm at the end of this chapter. It seems short. But the paragraphs are actually quite long on word... but oh well. ENjoy!

And review. Please.

Hotori


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

The "trouble" she was in actually only consisted of some interrogation on what happened and what they had found out from the attack. It also confirmed their thoughts about going to Japan earlier than planned, and waiting some more there. Watari is trying to delay the trial for as long as possible, at least until Anna had had a chance to know Amane Misa better, and decide what to do with this new threat. After explaining, he simply asked if she was injured, which she was not, and that was that.

Despite all the things to worry about, it was by pure coincidence that Anna woke again in the middle of the night, the cause was purely normal. She was a little cold. But that feeling was ignored as she looked out the window, and saw the first of the shimmering snowflakes float down from heaven in their enchanting glitter.

It was the year's first snowfall coming early, as if waving goodbye, and wishing her luck on her journey back to Japan.

Semiconsciously, Anna walked to her window and flung it open, feeling the cold air fill her entire room. It was very cold, but refreshing; the snow followed the wind and was propelled onto her face, turning to water where it touched her skin.

Without further delay, she closed the window, dressed in her warmest clothes and crept out her bedroom door and up the stairs to the roof where Mello had taken her the day before. The girl grinned as she stepped out into the chill, the cold never failed to make her instincts sharper, and she scaled walls so that she wasn't on the balcony/roof where she was, but actually on the diagonal slant where the rain would pour off, if it was raining of course. But as it is, it was snowing, and Anna lay on her back, her breathe a puff of white in the cold as she gazed at the sparkling flakes.

She had always seen the first snow with her family, not on the roof, of course, but in the backyard below, they would dress in their biggest furred jackets, set up a comfortable spot and simply lay in the frosted grass, admiring the white flakes. They were so pretty…

They were different now, her family was dead, and Sorrow's constant appearance never let her forget that one of them, her father, was undead. The snow fell as usual, but she was cold without the warmth of her family next to her, their bodies giving her the warmth she craved. She had been seeing the snowfall alone for many years, she was always cold, and she hasn't gotten used to it. She could never feel the warmth of her mother and father beside her again, they would never talk about how she fell asleep watching the snow, and they would never laugh together.

_But I have someone else now…_ Anna thought as she suppressed a shiver, a larger snowflake had fallen on her nose, melting into water immediately. But how long will this last before one of us is killed? What will happen after Kira is caught? Where would she go? How could she stay with him, knowing her assassin persona still stirred inside her? The memory of the attack led by James had still lingered in her mind, the bloodlust she had felt was terrible, like she wanted to slaughter all that threatened her and her new life. What if it emerged again when one of them was endangered? What if she finally lost control, and became the berserk, uncontrollable assassin she was?

"Hey." A voice called from below, "You'll catch a cold."

_Speak of the devil. _Anna grinned, and sat up, catching L's familiar face as he gazed up at her. The mere sight of him wiped away her troubling thoughts. "It's the first snow; it's worth being cold for." She replied with a smile, and then hesitated before adding, "I used to watch it…with my family, while they were alive anyway."

L nodded, "Do you want to be alone?"

Anna's smile was unable to hide that sad, lonely look that struggled to surface, and she knew she would never be able to fool the detective, he had asked for curtsey's sake and that only. "I am cold." She finally replied, then realized that L had been wearing what he always wears, his plain white shirt and his baggy jeans. "Aren't you cold?" she replied, curious.

The detective shrugged as his mouth twitched into a grin, "A little, I'm quite used to the weather here in Britain."

Anna nodded, and in a moment L crouched beside her, looking up at the snow. "Winter came early this year." He muttered.

No reply was heard as Anna lay on the roof again, smiling a little as she felt his warm body against her as he lied down on the roof too, looking up at the flakes that now fell with more intensity. _It was warm again. _She thought. "Thanks." She said after a while.

L smiled, "Do you still feel alone?"

Anna sat up, "It's just not familiar…I have thought of myself as myself only, alone. There was no one else on earth that I trusted or depended on. I was always alone, and I grew used to it. I guess."

"Me too," L replied, staring blankly into the sky. "Well, I had Watari and Mello and Near I suppose, but…." His voice trailed off.

"It's one of the things you can't protect yourself against." Anna laughed, "It's not a physical attack you can simply block and counter. There's no guard against it, and it makes you feel so helpless you wish I had the right shield to defend against it."

"I already have it." L sat up, his legs spread out instead of tucked underneath in his usual crouch due to the slant in the roof. He looked at her with his dark eyes. "Didn't I tell you?"

"_If you die, my life is forfeit."_

"I guess you did." Anna smiled.

Suddenly, L reached into his pocket and pulled out the pendent he had given her. "Sorrow took it off when Mikami found you, I wanted to give it back to you, but there seemed to be a lot of interruptions lately." He motioned for her to lean forward, and then clasped the silver chain around her neck. The cold metal sent a shiver down her spine, but Anna smiled inside.

"When is your birthday?" she asked.

L shrugged, "Soon, in a week. It's October 31st, but I don't really want to celebrate it. I usually just munch off on sweets and hand out candy, it is Halloween after all, though I would much prefer it if sugar cubes were a valid and popular scary suit that children will dress in for Halloween."

"Is there anything in particular you would like?"

"There are a lot of things." L smiled, "First I'd like world peace, and end to world hunger and poverty, I'd like fair, just governments, no oppression, equality and fairness for all, but since you can't have everything, I'd do with just chocolate cake."

Anna laughed, "I'm pretty sure that's guaranteed, but I'll think of something. Though I must say it'll be hard to give a birthday present to a person who virtually has everything year after year after year."

"You've given me enough." L said, "Nothing in material can rival who you are."

"But how long will it last, before one of us dies?" Anna murmured quietly, the future had started to bother her again through the moment of silence.

L looked at the girl next to him, her hair and black clothes decorated with white flakes, her amber eyes were wide with fear for loss, and suffering. Her face was pale with the cold, but in the under the moonlight and starlight, and shimmering snow, she seemed hardly real…"What is it?" L asked, clearly reading her as was his specialty.

"I'm kind of afraid…of myself." Anna hesitated, not really sure how to describe the doubt she felt towards her own self control. "When James and those people…restrained me, I bit him, in the neck. And…" her eyes narrowed, never having admitted her weakness, she felt…almost ashamed of her lack of self control.

"There is no monster in you." L answered, staring unblinkingly into her eyes.

Guilt overwhelmed her at his confidence, "But I felt the bloodlust, it wanted to kill them, L, I wanted to kill them all! I probably would have, had I had a weapon. I wanted to lash out at them with my anger, they would pay with their life and blood for humiliating me, I…I wanted to release my helplessness in their deaths. I think I even wanted to prove that I could still be what I was." She stared at her hands, "So many people's blood is on my hands, and I could never wash it off. I can't control the urge."

"But you have." L replied calmly, "James is alive, and so are the rest of them."

"Next time…"

"Anna, you don't have a split persona. There is no "other self" for you to shut inside. When you were an assassin, you were Anna, and you are still Anna now. You're a strong girl and you dislike being weak. That's probably the "something" you wanted to prove, you wouldn't have killed them even if you could." L smiled, "Besides, I accepted you for who you are now, and if you killed thirty nine more people, I would still stand for you before the court. Well…" he ruffled his messy hair and shrugged, "I would probably run away someplace else with you but, same point."

Anna sighed, "You're making me feel like I'm a horrible person."

"Not really, you'd do the same for me." L replied with his voice passive again.

Suddenly, a wind picked up, sending cold snow in their direction. Anna and L shivered. "I think it's time to go inside." She said, "Is it always freezing up here in Britain?"

L shrugged as they jumped off the roof and made their way back inside and to her room, "It's pretty close to the north; it will be a bit chillier here. It probably hasn't even started snowing in Japan yet, even in Hokkaido. Anyway, it's late; you should probably get some sleep since we're going to Japan tomorrow."

"And why are you nocturnal?" Anna grinned.

"Not exactly nocturnal," L explained as they stopped outside the door to her room, "I don't sleep during the day, but I have strange habits I guess. I eat so much sugar that I don't really need to sleep for more than a few hours, besides, being "nocturnal" is kind of refreshing. You however, do need to get some sleep; I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow morning."

Anna smiled and nodded, "Okay."

"Good night." He said.

"You too," Anna replied.

"Just go already," L turned her around and pushed her through the door, "or else we'd be here forever." With Anna through the door, he turned around to close it, "Stop going outside at night, you can keep up your adventures at day time." L warned, and closed the door behind him.

Alone again, L wandered his way to his own room, his mind heavy with thoughts. Her presence has always lightened his spirit, no matter the subject of their conversation, but he had not told her the other part of the conversation with Watari, he didn't know how she would react. Currently, Matt was the only ones that hadn't confronted him about it, Matt probably didn't feel the need, the boy always stayed out of his business, though he was wary of everything that's going on. But for Watari to say something…it was odd.

But none of them are sure she's still alive.

L quietly whispered the name, but that didn't make it feel more real.

Years ago, he had left her crying herself to sleep after buying her ice cream. Only a few days later he heard about her sneaking out in the dead of the night and running away. She hadn't told anyone where she intended to go. Being so young and sick with leukemia, she probably didn't know herself, and he hadn't heard about her sense. Any normal person would've died from the sickness or the harsh weather. But not L's friends…they just keep living.

And sooner or later, they catch up with him.

She was only one more thing that kept him from rest during the night. Appearing in his dreams, haunting him, tearing apart the life he had just managed to pull together. He would have to explain to Anna, sooner or later, of course, but what was the point of saying anything? The girl was probably dead, she should've been. Though he hated himself for thinking it, if she was dead, everything would be so much easier and simpler. And if she wasn't…well…

Then there were Watari's words. "If she was alive, what would you do then? She is your responsibility; you have obligations to keep to."

He could not answer. "She is not my responsibility." He whispered to himself now, but what if she did show up? According to Mello, she was very much alive and healthy, and is currently looking for him in Japan.

"She is so your responsibility." A voice interrupted him, and L looked up suddenly, seeing Ryuk's battered form floating upside down in midair. The Shinigami seems to have returned from his night flight. "If you don't take care of Anna, Sorrow won't care what she says, he'll kill you."

L sighed and rolled his eyes, "I wasn't talking about her." He told the Shinigami.

"Oh good, since I wouldn't have stopped him." Ryuk cackled, "Who were you talking about?"

"It's really not your business." L replied, walking away as Ryuk steadily followed.

The Shinigami spread his wings around L and faced him, "Oh but you were talking about some "she" and "responsibility"." His mouth widened in a toothy grin, "Is it not Miss Anna's business either? It could be Sorrow's business too, if you look at it seriously. That Shinigami is serious about her daughter and her relationship with you. Maybe I should tell him." Ryuk floated and glided.

"Then do so, I have nothing to hide." L looked into the haunting eyes coldly.

"I think I may know this girl, yes, I'm quite sure. She's a sickly one isn't she?"

Ryuk cackled, and then leaned towards the detective to whisper something in his ear. L's face remain composed as he digested the information, though the Shinigami could hear the increased pace of his pulse. "I was right wasn't I?" Ryuk laughed, "I was right, I knew it! As soon as Sorrow stirred up the Shinigami Realm with his little deal, which was one of the most interesting things that ever happened, almost all the Shinigami that knew of it were watching through the portal to the Human World. They watched Anna, yes they did, and when she met you, many of them kept you in check on you too, and everyone close to you. But one of the higher Shinigami spirits are watching your sick friend, detective, he's planning on using her. You'd better honor your promise."

"Or?" L replied icily.

Ryuk leaned in again, until his monstrous face was just inches from his, "Use your imagination detective." He laughed, then soared up and disappeared through the roof.

L scoffed as Ryuk left him, his eyes narrowed. "Do your worst, Shinigami." He whispered to himself as he walked up to his room, "My friends are stronger than you give them credit for."

00000000000

L woke Anna early in the morning. "Get dressed." He told her, "We should probably take some equipment before we go."

They walked to the roof again, this time L opened the panel and inserted a different code, opening a different door. He motioned for her to follow, and they stepped into the room. "You can take three weapons of whatever you find comfortable. I'm letting you take them because I assume that Kira's supporters aren't going to be very happy with me."

Anna wasn't listening, her eyes feasted over the different type of weapons that stocked the shelves from floor to ceiling, each with their name and description. "Wow, how many can I take?"

"Three." L replied.

"Five." Anna argued as she began to file through the weaponry.

"Four." They compromised, and L picked up some gadgets for himself.

In the end, Anna satisfied herself with an extendable combat knife for close range, and two fire arms, of course, one of them had a seriously long range, and could also be used as a sniper, and the other was tiny and portable, though did as much damage as the other. She also took with her a piece of technology that clipped around her wrist and generated a perfect target lock between something that resembled extendable bow like arms, it fired anything from bombs, to bullets, to whatever she can find.

"Alright, let's go." L hurried her out of the room before she could get her greedy eyes on anything else.

000

"Mello, keep a sharp eye on Matt." L warned, his voice was quiet and steady, but intense. "I'll put you in charge, but if I smell cigarettes in my house when I get back…"he left the threat unanswered, and nodded goodbye to Near and Matt before boarding his plane.

Anna gave each of the boys a hug, and followed after L, _I hope I live to see you all again. _She thought to herself. Everywhere she went there were people trying to have her killed, Japan was just the same, except the killer can kill with a name and a face. Which was yet another thing that she cannot protect herself against, life was beginning to get more complicated.

She enjoyed the view from her window, despite Ryuk's face deliberately flashing by now and then. Anna had no idea how the Shinigami was able to keep up with the plane, and if she tried to close her window for a bit of privacy, Sorrow would flash into the plane, solidify, and watch her.

They weren't even allowed to freak out when a distorted face appeared in front of them, for the people that pushed around the trolley didn't know the existence of the supernatural beings.

L sat crunched in the seat beside her; his legs tucked up to his chest. He too, cast occasional annoyed glances at the Shinigami. "Persistent." He commented after Anna shoved Sorrow's face out of the plane for the fifth time three minutes into their flight. "I should probably outline our mission this time." He said then to her, "We'll be staying at a headquarters Watari prepared. The same one we used before, except I believe that Watari prepared rooms so we can live there as well. The trial has been postponed for two weeks, not a lot of time, so I'm going to allow you to talk to Amane, see what you can do, talk, not stalk, at least not yet. I've thought a bit, you are going to take Sorrow's Death Note to meet her, let her think she has an ally on her side. Therefore, due to your openness, her Shinigami has no right to suspect you. I've studied the rules of the Note as well. It turns out that if Amane has the Shinigami Eyes, she can see a person's lifespan and name above their head, however, in the case of other Death Note users, she'll only be able to see the name, so it's safer to have Sorrow with you either way. I will look after Ryuk's Death Note in your absence, though you will maintain its ownership."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Anna replied, "I guess I'll be using Sheila Faust as my name as well then, since Misa will be wary of me if I use a false name."

"Yes," L answered. "In any case, how's your arm doing?"

Anna looked down on her left arm, wrapped beneath the cast. It has felt a lot firmer since she snapped it. But… "L, it's only been two days since I snapped it, even with my rapid healing it won't do me much good for the moment."

"May I see it?" Sorrow's head poked through the roof of the airplane this time, startling L and Anna as they controlled their urge to suddenly look up.

Anna looked at L and nodded, then the detective gently pulled the sling loose, and began unwrap the bandages and remove the cast. She grimaced a little as Sorrow's solidified fingers poked around at her arm, but otherwise remained still. L's cold hands supported her arm, and for a moment as she looked at him, she thought she saw guilt in his features as he looked at her wound.

"It's getting better quite quickly." Sorrow concluded, his human years as a doctor was a great asset, if the only one. "I can probably make a thinner cast that'll fit inside her shirt. It's just as useful, and nobody can tell unless you wear short sleeves."

L nodded, and then went on with his explanation, "Also, you won't be getting off the plane at the airport, I do suspect that Kira's followers will probably try to kill as many of us as they can. They're rising in numbers, in any case, you'll be dropped off somewhere else, and follow me at a distance." He raised his hand to cut off the objections, "This is not only for your safety, but also for mine. It's going to be much more troublesome if we have to try and protect each other through whizzing bullets. Instead, you'll be covering for me on a tall building and following from there, looking like the professional hired bodyguard they thought I hired you to be. It'll also make our relationship harder for them to discover. You'll remember I told you about keeping our relationship professional for the time being."

"Makes sense," Anna replied.

"One more thing," L sighed, "I'm going to allow you to kill in self defense. If it comes down to them or you, I want you to protect yourself, even if you have to kill them. Is that understood?"

Anna frowned, "I didn't think they would be _that _dangerous."

"They can be hazardous." L replied, his eyes staring blankly in front of him, "Now you should probably get some more rest, it'll be quite a feat to get to the headquarters unscratched. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Anna nodded, and quite easily slipped into slumber. _They can't be that bad, Kira's followers. _She thought in her sleep, though her mind was running drills and scenarios in her head.

It seemed quite soon when L woke her again, and she peered out of the window.

Well, it wasn't that bad…it was _worse.

* * *

_Author's Note: hey everyone! It's chapter 26 already...and i still haven't written what i wanted to!! I'm severely hoping that i'll be able get to that part by chapter 30...i have so many exciting scenes planned in my head!! But i must connect them all for everything to make sense...But but...oh well. I'll write faster scribble scribble I wanted to make this longer actually, but, i decided that i should update so i can go through Teacher's Convention without the guilt. (Two days of no school! Yay!! GAMES GAMES GAMES!!!!)It's so hard to live a guilt free life these days! 

Oh well, hope you enjoyed! Please Review!! (There was this once in another story i wrote that in one chapter, i didn't aske for reviews. My beta asked if i was ill. --' well, i might've been.)

Hotori


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!" Anna exclaimed from a rooftop near the airport, "How did this many people know about this?"

L winced from the loud voice from his earpiece, then shrugged, "Its common intuition to people who are paying attention. When Takada Kiyomi was captured, they simply assumed that I was in Britain. Haven't you heard that they have been assaulting every plane that comes from Britain?"

Anna was shocked at herself, noticing that she hasn't been paying any attention to the outside world at all. Why else would they be on L's private plane when normal civilian aircrafts would've provided better cover? "Sorry, I guess I'm still kind of out of it."

"Hm." L replied, "Well, the police are trying. I don't think they're doing a very good job though, this could get complicated if Amane is around."

"I'll scout around for her." Anna said, though it was no easy feat. However, Anna, being Anna, spotted the girl in a few moments, picking her out from the rest of the crowd, having memorized her face when she first saw the star on the plane. "Tough luck, Amane," Anna grinned, "I never forget a face."

Civilian clothes were hard to move smoothly in, but Anna did her best to move fast towards her target without drawing attention to herself. There was a high chance that Misa's Shinigami- who went by the name of Rem, so she heard from Ryuk- was watching. She couldn't afford to be caught. "L, how are you getting out of this mess?" she whispered through her ear piece as she picked her way around the mob of Kira's supporters.

"Easily." L replied, "I'll be slipping away while some finely dressed people act as decoys. Far as they're concerned, I'm the new guy whose serving drinks without a uniform cause its my first day."

"Watch out for yourself, I'm going to see what I can do to distract Amane." Anna frowned as she thought to herself, "It might be a bit early, but I'm going to talk to her now, it's a good opportunity, and you'll be able to get away without worries."

"Sounds good," L replied, his tone hushed, "You know where we're meeting?"

"Headquarters without being followed," Anna replied, "I'm cutting out."

"Okay."

Anna took the earpiece out and stuffed it in her pocket once Sorrow notified her that the Shinigami wasn't looking. Then, putting on a hurried face for all she was worth, she broke into full sprint; it wasn't long before she reached Amane Misa, looking urgent. The girl has changed substantially since she last saw her. No longer the pretty, happy-go-lucky blonde, Amane Misa now had a dark atmosphere and left it just about everywhere she went. Light's capture seems to have shaken her to her core, Anna thought, and felt guilt whelm up in her again. "Amane Misa, I would like to talk to you." She whispered quickly in fluent Japanese, as if time was running out.

"I'm not giving any interviews." Misa's reply was barely audible, and she looked up at Anna with dark rings under her eyes. She looked like a phantom.

"Oh please." Anna scoffed and grabbed the girl by her wrist, "I'm not interested in your interviews, Misa."

Surprise crossed Amane Misa's face as Anna dragged her out of the horde of people and into a quiet alley nearby. "I'm going to kindly ask you and your Shinigami to not write my name for the moment, I need to know more about you, so I can perhaps help you." She held out Sorrow's Death Note for Misa to touch, the girl's eyes widened as she touched the note and for the first time, saw Sorrow. "We're the same Misa, selected by the Shinigami." Anna smiled to the semi frightened girl. "I can help you. My name is Sheila Faust, I'm German, but was born in Britain."

"Do you have the Shinigami Eyes?" Misa asked.

Anna shook her head and smiled, "Your name is hard to ignore, Misa. May I touch your Death Note?"

Her lips pressed into a hard line, Misa brought out the black notebook from her purse and let Anna touch the corner of the paper. "Can you kill L for me?" Misa's eyes were pleading.

"It's not a question of can I; it's a question of will I." The assassin's smile faded, "I can kill him, certainly, and I have the means to. But whether I will or not is a different story." She paused and looked Misa hard in the eye, "I have possessed the Death Note for a while now, Misa. I have yet to choose a side, for or against Kira. His ideas are ideal, but I'm not sure that this is the best way to awaken the world. I've been keen and alert; I've caught up on the Second Kira, whom I guessed was you after doing a little investigating. Yagami Light is Kira, but I believe he's being held in prison right now, he was transferred from here to Japan too, as far as I know."

Anna took care in her words, never dropping hints of when Light was transferred, though the girl seemed smarter than she looked. "When was Light transferred back here?" Misa asked, "Now? Should I send Rem to check?"

Prepared, Anna sadly shook her head, "I guess your Shinigami is emotionally attached to you, Misa, and is willing to do your bidding, mine is also emotionally attached to me, I have asked Sorrow to look. He has not found anything of worth."

"Is that so?" Misa whispered suspiciously.

"I heard there was some kind of relationship between you and Light." Anna ignored Misa's look, "I was wondering if you'd like to tell me more about yourself. This isn't the first time I've seen it happen. I want to know if you're in love with Yagami Light or his image Kira."

"I love Light, of course!" Misa exclaimed.

_Scary_, Anna took a step back. "Okay, does he love you?"

"Why do you ask?" Misa's eyes narrowed.

"I'm debating whether or not it's worth it to rescue the guy." Anna debated whether or not to further, and decided to go on with it, "From what I've seen, he's using you, which does not make him worth rescuing."

Misa glared angrily, "Keep talking like that and I'll kill you regardless."

"Will you now?" Anna answered, unwavering.

"I would suggest against it, Misa." Rem croaked. Anna smiled in satisfaction, all Shinigami, including Rem, are bound by Sorrow's promise. They would have to stop Misa from killing her, if push comes to shove.

"Please take no offense in what I say." Anna said sincerely, "I do want to know more about you, but I understand that this is not the best place. Is there a time where we could discuss things more privately? Sometime in your home perhaps?"

Misa thought for a while, "You know, you're the first person in a while to want to listen to my opinion." She said, "Probably the only one. Light wants to save the world, Rem wants me to give up the note, and the court will only condemn me. No one really cares." She closed her eyes, "Pretty sad for a rising star huh?"

Anna smiled, "It would give me pleasure to listen to your story."

"Tomorrow then, we can meet at the café across the street at four p.m. and walk to my house." Misa said decisively, "Thank you so much, Sheila san."

"Just Sheila is fine." Anna replied, "I'll see you tomorrow."

000

Anna pulled out her cell as she and Sorrow walked through the bustling streets. Kira's believers had begun to dissipate at last, their ruckus over. "Hey, Ryuuzaki, hanging on?" she said casually with a smile.

"Of course, how are things on your end?"

"I almost died." She joked, "I've made a new friend."

"I never doubted you for a second." L replied, "I'll be seeing you soon I trust?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm at your front door."

"Be prepared to bug some people." He whispered quickly, then the connection was cut.

In the elevator, Anna quickly pulled her jacket off in one fluid motion and flipped it inside out before putting it on again. She tied her hair up in a ponytail. Her hair had gotten longer over the last few weeks, her bangs almost covered her eyes, and her ponytail reached her back without problem. _I should cut it soon…_ Anna thought absent mindedly to herself as she walked out of the elevator and knocked on L's door.

She was greeted by the former investigations team and was surprised at their quick appearance. "Hello, I'm Anna. We haven't had a chance to meet formally before. I will be acting as Ryuuzaki's bodyguard, and doing some investigations of my own for the time being."

Each of the policemen nodded and introduced themselves in turn. Matsuda seemed unable to take his eyes off her, and Yagami Soichiro, _Light's dad_ she noted with irritation, only introduced himself out of politeness. She could tell he didn't like the fact that she had been dating Light, as well as capturing him, for L. This was going to bring up some unpleasant memories.

"We will work well together." L said, giving her a smile that relieved her of her stress. "Though Yagami san, now that Light kun has been captured for his crimes committed under the name Kira, I will understand if you wish to withdraw from the investigation."

"No, I will see it through to the end." Soichiro replied steely.

"Then I trust there will be no problem working with Anna." L looked into each of their eyes. "Regardless of her actions, I was in charge of them."

"I didn't enjoy it one bit either, if you must ask." Anna shot a glare towards Yagami Soichiro. "However, I do my job."

L sighed, "Yagami san and Aizawa san, please arrange place and time for our trial, try to delay it a bit if possible. Matsuda san, pull away anyone you might have watching Amane Misa, Mogi san will keep checking up on Kira's supporters. The investigation on the second Kira will be carried out by myself and Anna. That is all, you are dismissed."

They filed out, shaking Anna's hand as they passed.

"You give out instructions fast like usual." Anna leaned against the window and watched the policemen as each of them walked away. Opening her jacked, she pulled out four transmitters and tossed them to L. "Just like you asked, bugged, and ready to be spied on, shouldn't you trust people more?"

"How did it go with Amane?" L ignored her question.

"I'm going to see her tomorrow." Anna shrugged, "That girl is very trusting."

"She is the second Kira." L murmured, "It would easy to grab her note and capture her. She has enough fingerprints on that thing anyway. But I suppose you still want to investigate and…"

Anna shrugged and walked towards him, "I don't want to cause trouble for you. I will snatch her note if you would like, her Shinigami can't kill me."

L leaned back against his chair, his head resting on the top of the back as he looked at her. "Do as you please. We've worked hard for this case; we want to end with no regrets, yes?"

"Thank you." She smiled, and draped her arms around his shoulders, leaning down to give him a hug. "I can't wait until this case is over. Misa looks so sad, it's kind of soul sucking. I really feel sorry for that girl."

L nodded, "I'll do my best to make it just, though I cannot guarantee anything. Also, I know you also have the receivers to listen in on anything that I might've missed, but please, don't let their words bother you."

Anna stood straight and turned away, "They don't bother me." She said passively, "I've done nothing but my job."

She heard the squeak of the chair as L stood up and sighed, "Don't lie, Anna, and really, don't let it bother you."

"I am an assassin." She said angrily, "That Yagami Soichiro looked at me as if I was a seductress. I'm not! There's a difference!"

L winced, "I know. I'm sorry. I will take the receivers if you want."

"I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself." Anna sighed, burying her face in her hand. "Besides, I want to share some of your burden, you've been carrying it alone for long enough."

"Don't stress yourself." L pulled her hand from her face, "this troublesome case will be over soon."

Anna smiled faintly and gave him a tight hug, "Troublesome it is, it was fun."

"I thought we were going to keep this relationship thing a little bit undercover here." L murmured as he hugged her back.

"Oh come on." Anna let her arms fall and took two steps backwards, "you liked it and you know it. I'll start behaving from now on, that didn't count."

"No." L said, then pulled her in by her hand and kissed her gently on her lips. "You can start behaving _now_, that didn't count either."

"AHEM." Sorrow coughed intensely, his head poking through the ceiling. Ryuk's head popped out of the ceiling a second later, hysterically laughing, and jabbing Sorrow in the ribs as the two Shinigami floated down. "Sorry, forgive the interruption." Sorrow muttered crossly, and disappeared into the hallway beyond, "I'll be waiting to accompany you, young lady."

Anna laughed, "Whatever you say, you're the boss."

"Right, now, you should probably be figuring out what tactics you will be using on Amane." L said dismissively, "I will make sure no human bothers you."

Waving goodbye, Anna opened the door and decided to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator up to her room. She tuned Sorrow out as he blabbed on and on, strategies already forming in her head and how she could put them into action. Amane Misa isn't a tough foe, her opponent, would most likely be the protective Shinigami, Rem.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello fellow readers! You asked for romance, and i gave it, somewhat I'm a nice person :D. Guess what! It was my birthday yesterday! Wish me happy birthday...come on, doesn't anyone love me? Where's the Happy Birthday? I will work harder on writing better romance. I promise. Right after i finishe my homework...sigh...and pick my highschool...geez...ok well. Enough of my problems. I hope you enjoyed this! Until next time! Bye!

PS: Review and wish me a Happy Birthday!!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

"Did you find him, Rem?" Misa sat cross legged on her bed, eagerly awaiting the Shinigami's report.

Rem nodded, "Yagami Light is in Japan, where he is being held in prison. However, he has no memories of being Kira; he has given up the Death Note, as you should."

Amane Misa waved a hand dismissively, "Nonsense, now that Light has lost his memories, I'm the only one he's got. I _have_ to do it; I'm the only one who could. If Sheila decides to help me, that could work too…though I can't be counting on her help, this is my problem." She paused to think, "L is here too right?"

Rem nodded grimly.

"Will you kill him now?" Misa smiled, reaching out to take the Shinigami's bony hand in hers, "Please Rem?"

"L has made no move to endanger your life," Rem replied.

Misa pouted, "So you'll wait until it's too late."

"No, I will kill him, before push comes to shove." The Shinigami patted Misa on the head with her scrawny hand, "Go to sleep Misa, and don't worry about it."

"Thank you Rem, you're my best friend." Misa stood up on her bed, allowing herself to be the same height as the Shinigami, and gave the death god a tight hug. "Good night." She pulled her covers over herself, and reached over to turn off the light.

Rem's gaze lingered over the body of the girl, then a huge pair of leathery wings sprouted from her back, and she soared through the ceiling. "What the heck is it you want?" she hissed to the Shinigami waiting at the top."I am not changing my mind, this in no way endangers the life of that girl."

Sorrow flexed his feathery wings angrily, "You're destroying her happiness."

"For the happiness of Misa," Rem growled, "I am not bound by the promise to keep that detective alive! He dies! I didn't tell Misa about your daughter's plan with that detective to eventually capture and kill her, which should be enough."

"You're binding all of the Shinigami race to perhaps an eternity of slavery to a human!" Sorrow argued. "That detective is able to promise her the protection that will free us. Are you willing to be hated by the entire Shinigami Realm for that girl?"

"Well, you certainly were willing enough." Rem narrowed her eyes. "Look, the detective dies, no matter what you say now. If you're wise, you will direct your daughter elsewhere so she does not witness the death of her loved one!"

Sorrow shook his head furiously, his wings flared wide against the night sky. "There's no arguing with you, Rem." He narrowed his eyes, hissing as he flapped his wings to propel himself higher. "We will see the events unfold, the future has yet to reveal itself to us."

"Indeed," Rem murmured, and dove through cement, once again watching vigilantly by the sleeping girl.

000

"Thanks for letting me into your home, Misa." Anna smiled graciously as she stepped into Misa's luxurious living room. It was typical of a rising star's; the rooms were large, fashionable, and clean, well, the rooms she was shown were at least.

Misa smiled and led her into her guest room, "It's my pleasure entirely. But I'd rather skip the pleasantries if you don't mind; we are both busy people with important tasks at hand."

"Of course," Anna settled herself comfortably on a couch, as Rem stood by Misa, and Sorrow also stayed loyally by her side. "Please, start from the beginning."

Misa nodded. "I wonder if you've been through hell, I certainly have…"

_Flashback_

_The room was dark, I wondered why. Usually the television would be playing, and my family would be chatting cheerily away, debating occasionally. Perhaps I was truly home too late, perhaps I shouldn't have stayed out for 'just a few more minutes.' But why does this feel so…wrong? The floor is wet. That's odd. Mother would never let this mess stay here. What's wrong? Is everyone waiting to jump out and surprise me?_

_No, it feels sinister, it feels dark. "No, it feels dark. It's a sinister, palpable kind of dark."_

_It's so wet, seems like the entire floor is covered by water. It hasn't been raining that hard. I may be soaked, but there's no way the kitchen would be flooded with just the rain water. I picked my way carefully forward, there was no light in the room, and nothing dimly illuminated anything. My fingers feeling on the walls for the switch, I managed to find it, just as a flash of lightning brought enough light through the windows for me to indulge my eyes in the bloody horror._

_Thunder crashed soon after, bringing me to my knees. My hands immediately covered my mouth from a scream, and a felt the wetness soaking through my long socks, caressing against my cold, clammy skin. For the first time I realized, the liquid was still warm. "Mo-mother?" I crawled forward in the dark, to a body revealed by the flash of lightning. The skin felt warm to my touch, the blood was still flowing steadily from the wound, and I felt it gush over my hands in a warm, comforting stream._

_It's so unfair…_

_Why would God not punish the person that did this? Why?_

"_Their bodies are still warm, aren't they?"_

_My head snapped up to see the murderer. His bloody hand patted my head, then without another word, he walked away. _

_I would see justice to this crime, I promised myself. That murderer will pay._

_End of Flashback_

"That's what I told myself anyway." Misa said with a grin as she picked up a zero fat coke, "I couldn't do it in the end, but Kira avenged my parents for me, Kira saved me, he brought justice upon the world."

"What happened next?"

"I was saved by the same power that Kira held." Misa said with a smile, "Someone was watching over me."

_Flashback_

"_Get away from me!" I shouted, waving my hand in front me in hopeless defense. "I don't want to die!"_

"_Misa, I love you, let's die together!"_

_Die? I don't want to die. What's this guy talking about, he's insane!_

"_I told you I don't want to die!" Turning around, I ran again, only to run into a dead end. Scared to death, I jumped up onto the bench and banged on the wired fence. "Somebody, help!"_

"_Misa, I'll die with you!"_

_He stepped closer, the knife gleaming dangerously in the moonlight._

_All over again, it's happening all over again! Why? I put it behind me, how did it catch up with me? The blood filled nightmare raged in front of my eyes, I felt sick, my throat seemed to have blocked out all oxygen. I was drowning, drowning in the blood._

_Then he clutched his chest, his eyes wide as he stumbled to his knees, the knife slipping from his grasp with a clang. A notebook fell with it, black as night, indistinguishable from the rest of the sky until it hit the floor with a light thud._

_As the scene registered in my mind, I let myself gently back down to the ground and picked up the notebook. The white letters on the cover I couldn't understand, but the man's name was written inside, there was some connection. A breeze of cold air brushed against my back gently, followed by a full blast as I turned to face the angel of death._

"_My name is Rem. Your life has been extended by the owner of the Death Note."_

_"Are you a…angel?" I asked, my voice cracking and shivering with fear._

_Rem shook her head, "I'm a Shinigami. The human whose name is written in that note book shall die."_

_It all became clear at the second, the murders, my parents, my unknown savior, Kira. Images of dead people flashed into my mind, followed by a peaceful utopia where my parents would be still alive…_

_Well, it would be too late for that._

_But not for everything else, I could create my utopia. _

"_Awesome…" I whispered._

_End of Flashback_

"So you did fall in love with the image of Kira." Anna teased, and then recoiled as Misa narrowed her eyes to pout. "Ah, just joking."

Amane Misa shrugged, "I don't know, really. When I saw him, I felt like, wow, this is him, you know? I thought, it's so awesome, he's top student, I'm a rising pop star, he's Kira, and I possess the same power as him. And, heck, he's pretty hot too, it's perfect!" she grinned mischievously, "Do you have a guy you like?"

"I guess so," Anna stuck out her tongue, "nowhere near as interesting as your relationship seems to be though."

"Aww, it'll work out." Misa encouraged, "What's he like?"

"Quiet, he seems shy, but he's actually quite bold." Anna looked to the ceiling and thought some more, "He's kind of mysterious really, it's like there's always something you don't know about him."

"Ooohhh," Misa rolled her eyes suspiciously. "Is he hot?"

"What's with girls and asking these questions?" Anna exclaimed, "Don't we have some important subject we need to talk about right now?"

"Screw it! Is he?" Misa was about jumping with excitement.

"Depends on what type you like…" Anna mumbled, taken back by the girl's enthusiasm.

"Well, is he to you?" Misa wasn't giving up.

"Um…ye-" her answer was cut off by Misa's burst of giggles and squeals as she jumped forward and gave her a hug. Anna sweat dropped. It was amazing the kind of turn their conversation took. _Which idiot brought this up again?_ she thought. _Oh, yeah, it was me._ Anna heaved a sigh and pushed the girl off, "Okay, enough excitement, back to Kira."

"No, I like this topic." Misa insisted, "How lo-"

Anna cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Sorry, I'm not giving any interviews." She imitated Misa's words from the airport. "I'm afraid I must leave."

"Well hey, I told you my story," Misa crossed her arms.

"Here's the quick summary, my story includes my parents being murdered, myself being drugged and abused, used as a lab rat, killing people, almost getting killed many times, and having a Shinigami as a parent." She gestured to Sorrow, "Which part do you want to know?"

"I want to know ALL of it!" Misa leaped with joy.

"Oh boy," Anna backed away, "heel, girl, heel!"

She grabbed Misa's shoulders, "Misa, I'm afraid I really do have to go. I'll be back tomorrow, if you like. You can hear about my story then, alright?"

Misa smiled sadly and nodded. "I'm sorry Sheila; I haven't behaved like that for so long. Rem isn't exactly the type to have girl talks with."

"I'll promise you, Misa, I will do whatever is in my power to get you out of this mess," Anna nodded. "Just lie low, alright?"

"I can't say I'll promise to that, but I will see you back here tomorrow morning for breakfast, yes?" Misa escorted her to the door and held it open for her, "You're welcome here anytime you like, Sheila Faust. My home is open to you always."

"Thank you."

"I never thought I'd see you talking like that." Sorrow murmured, floating over her head.

"Yeah? I've never really had any _girl time_ either." Anna replied with a shrug, "It's strange, but it feels good, really good to talk to someone like that. At least now I know I can't hand her over to the police, she didn't want this…she reminds of myself."

"What if L wants her captured and killed?"

"He wouldn't," Anna shrugged, "but if push comes to shove I will hide her."

"I've found something interesting last night. Want to check it out before we head back?" Sorrow offered, "I think it's beneficial to your case."

"Why didn't you say so this morning?" Anna cocked her head to one side, "and Sorrow, stop hovering over my head, you're blocking the daylight and I need my Vitamin D. I may lead a dark life; I would prefer not to walk in it every second."

"Whatever." Sorrow hissed, "Do you want to go?"

"I'll take it up with L." Anna said decidedly, "He'd throw a fit if I'm not back in time, and besides, I trust your judgment, you can probably tell us all that we need to know. You can even explain to me on the way back."

Sorrow put his large hands on her shoulder and steered her away, "I think its best that we go now."

"Stop it!" Anna slapped his hands off her shoulder, "What's with you anyway, you're acting weird. Didn't I tell you to stop hovering over my head?"

Sorrow remained silent. Sighing, Anna walked into a dark alley, then without warning, she grabbed the Shinigami's arm and threw him into the ground with such force that he went through. Immediately, she looked up and scanned the skies, instantly recognizing a dark shape that was too large to be a bird, and to gruesome to be an airplane. "Rem." She murmured under her breath, "Rem's headed to kill L, is that what you're hiding from me? Why?" she shouted to Sorrow, who rose out of the ground, "You idiot! I have to get back!"

Quickly climbing a conveniently placed ladder up to the roof to avoid traffic, Anna jumped between the closely placed buildings towards headquarters. One good thing about Japan, she thought bitterly as Sorrow soared angrily beside her, all buildings are placed so closely together it's practically another road. Launching herself over a larger gap, she tried to forward roll over the edge, but slipped and fell towards the ground.

Sorrow caught her hand and pulled her up, "You'll be too late." He said, "Hang on tight."

"Hey! People can't see you but they can see me, you know!" she shouted, but clung to his neck anyway. Sorrow's dark feathered wings folded around her, covering her completely just as a second pair of wings sprouted from his back and propelled them both into the sky. "Let me talk to her, let me talk to Rem!"

"There's no talking with Rem." Sorrow growled, "Don't you think I tried? You'll have to hide him. I made sure she hasn't seen his name yet."

"She can walk through solids, where the heck am I supposed to hide him?" Anna murmured to herself.

Like destiny, droplets of rain started pouring from the heavens, thumping into Sorrow's wings, ripping out plumage here and there.

"You're on your own there," Sorrow grunted as he forced his wings to propel them faster and faster. "I hope this shows you how fragile happiness can be, Sheila Faust."

"Shut it," Anna hissed. "I'm trying to think."

She was still thinking when they came into view of their destination. Surprisingly, L was waiting for them on the roof, his dark eyes gazing emptily into the distance. "L!" Anna's call pulled him out of his trance, "What are you doing out here? We have to hide!"

"I just thought I heard…bells." He closed his eyes, "They've never been this loud. I wonder what's going on."

"Rem's coming to kill you, that's what." Anna hissed, "Come on! We have to-"

"I figured," L shrugged. "I didn't think I should worry you with it, there's no way to hide from a Shinigami. I hoped that the Shinigami wasn't as emotionally attached with Misa as Sorrow is with you. If it was, thought, I thought your friendship with Misa might be able to provide some cover…it seems not."

"Why didn't you tell me-"

L reached over and pulled her into his arms, "What could you have done besides worry? Rather than having you nervous and depressed, I wanted to see the enthusiastic girl who always wanted to excel at her missions, even if it's for the last time."

"You idiot, we could've-" Her words were cut off by Rem's figure whooshing into view. All four of Sorrow's wings snapped open, shielding them from the other Shinigami's sight. "You can still go, Rem," Sorrow said.

"Step aside, Shinigami, you know you don't have the guts to die for him," Rem replied, narrowing her eyes.

"_Cover his face,"_ A voice murmured in her mind.

Anna obeyed, and blocked L from view of the Shinigami, his face hidden in her shoulder. Sorrow's wings folded down. L stood motionless.

"I will kill Amane Misa for this," Anna hissed to Rem. Unprotected from Sorrow's wings, the rain soaked through them both quickly, becoming so heavy they could barely see past the curtain of water.

"No, of course you won't," Rem replied. "You can't make yourself after today. Now step aside."

"Kill me first," She grinned mockingly. "You can't can you?"

"There are so many others I can kill," Rem said tonelessly. "You don't honestly believe that you're the only important one to him, do you?"

"Anna, she's right." L whispered, never realizing the kind of feelings Shinigami could have for humans. He thought the Shinigami were unable to love, even after seeing Sorrow; now, he was going to have to pay with his life. "Don't let others die, besides, Sorrow and Ryuk are still with you."

_What the heck does Sorrow and Ryuk have to do with this? _She held him tighter. "I refuse."

"Don't be selfish." Rem's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to do this either, but this is what it has come to for Misa. Now listen, detective, tell her to let go."

"No!" Anna shouted, the rain pouring down her determined face.

"There are so many that would suffer for this, I know it all, I've heard in the Shinigami realm all those rumors. Humorously they tend to use your fake name as well, but I know the others, these names will sound familiar to you, I believe. There's Watari, called Quillish Wammy; Near, called Nate Rivers; Mello, called Mihael Keehl; Matt, called Mail Jeevas…and of course there's always Stella Archer. Shall I kill them all and more before coming to kill you?"

"That's quite enough, thank you." L grabbed Anna's shoulders with strong hands and pushed her away. "Does this satisfy you?"

"Yes," Rem said, but made no move to reach her Death Note.

"Rem, I think that's your name, I have things to do here, and people to be with." He paused. "Begging for life to a Shinigami seems silly, but if you could let me live, I would pose no threat to Amane Misa."

Rem sighed, closing her eyes.

* * *

Author's Note: Man this chapter was hard to write, and in the end, i'm STILL not absolutely pleased with it. I found that the emotion in this chapter was kind of all over the place, happy, sad, happy sad, comedy, drama, etc etc you get the point...sigh. On the other hand, i tried really hard to write the transitions between the scenes, and tried my best to contain my eagerness about writing following chapters...must not compress info or readers will get confused...

Also, as most of you ahve probably noticed, I have left this at a cliffie. We do not know if L will die or not. I'm already writing the next chapter, but again, it's VOTING TIME!!

Although i'm making no guarantees that i will be listening to you :D

And, who is this Stella Archer?? Why did L give in after her name was mentioned?? (I just finished the Fate Stay Night series and felt absolutely horrible at Archer's death, so i decided to name Stella after him :D) Review and find out next chapter!

L: I knew it...I knew you were going to write this.

Hotori: :D:D:D:D:D

Light: tries to muffle laughter

L: Shut up! whimper, whimper huggs knees and rocks back and forth I hate you, I hate you all, you have no idea how much i hate you.

Hotori: aww cheer up, it's not all that hopeless

Light: bursts out laughing

Hotori: stabs Light in the throat with a knife see? there, conflict resolved :D (lol, conflict resolved from FFVII Crisis Core)


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

Rem sighed, closing her eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Shinigami opened her eyes, "Too bad, L Lawliet." Then her leathery wings flapped, and she soared high into the sky, disappearing in second.

Ryuk watched with interest. Sorrow turned his face away as he watched the life span's sudden drop to a mere forty seconds.

"What do you want me to do?" Anna asked.

"I've told you from the very beginning, should I die, you are to find Near and finish the case with him." L replied, "From there on, you're free to do as you like."

Anna nodded, silent.

"With the Death Notes, burn them; wipe them out from this earth. This way its powers will be purged from this place." L added.

Looking at her Death Note, Anna looks at L, "It'll erase my memories as well."

"You probably won't remember any of this. That is correct." L affirmed, "As I said, you will be free to live as you like."

"You want me to forget everyone, Near, Matt, Mello, _you._" Anna shook her head, "My life for these past few months will be some made up unreality created by the Death Note. It would be the easy way out."

"If you're willing to take it, it's yours." L agreed, "but if you'd rather wake up every day of your life remembering me and the pain of losing me, that's okay too, all you have to do is keep Sorrow's notebook. It's your choice, I'm not making you forget anything, it wouldn't be fair."

Anna smiled, the rain dripping down her face and masking her tears, "I've always imagined that if this was to happen…it would be more dramatic, but here we are, chatting away as usual."

Taking a step towards her, L looked into her eyes sadly, and then softly locked his lips with hers. His hand caressed her cheek, holding her gently as Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and clung tightly against him, knotting her hands in his hair. It was only then that he realized how much she feared losing him, yet what could he do? L rubbed her back soothingly, then placed his hands on her shoulders as he gently eased her back. Their lips parted, and he smiled. "I'd like to be alone." He told her, it was a lie, but hey, he was awesome at lying.

Scared even to look into his eyes, Anna obeyed and walked away, motioning for Sorrow and Ryuk to follow. She was just at the door when she heard a heavy thud, and turned around to see L on his knees. His time had just run out.

Well, at least Ryuk was decent enough not to laugh.

Anna clenched her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. Control yourself, respect his wishes. She repeated over and over again, until Sorrow gave her a gentle shove, "Go," he told her, "don't leave any regrets."

L closed his eyes, biting his teeth as his organs screamed for oxygen, fighting and pulsing to survive. It was as if he could feel every cell of his body struggle to live. Then he felt the cold touch on his shoulder, she was going to be with him in his death after all. Her arms wrapped over both his shoulders and bound him together tightly.

His hands gripped the white shirt. His heart was being ripped apart, his head felt dizzy, the pain of it all was excruciating, and he wanted it to end, here and now. But Anna's hands held him tight, as if absorbing the pain into herself. She knew there was nothing she could do, she just held him as tight as she could in his final moments. "L." she whispered in his ear, her tears sliding down her face, mixing with the rain. His body was shaking violently, his heart no longer beating, but she found his eyes and looked into them,

L looked up at her, his eyes filled with pain and sadness. "I-" he attempted to say something, but his body jerked one more time, and he felt darkness clouding his vision, he wondered what came after the dark entirely clouds his vision, but his brain was too tired and starved for thoughts, he could do nothing, think nothing, say nothing.

His body went limp, and the violent shaking slowly came to a stop. Anna squeezed the dead body in her arms. Tears poured from the heartbroken girl's eyes. Like a stream, the made their way down her face, dropping onto his. Anna felt the body grow cold and rigid, life was disappearing in him every second, the lips that kissed her so heartbreakingly moments before were drained of color, becoming ashen grey, blue. Soon, there would be none at all left in the detective's body. Her hands ran over L's face, his cold skin brushing against her own. How many times has she gazed upon this face? How many times had she thought that it would be the last time?

Memories flashed back to her, filling her head with images of their meetings. She allowed them to take over, taking her on a spiritual ride to the past.

"…_I'm quite normal, and in fact, so are you."_

_The words were strange to my mind. What was he talking about? Me? Normal? Yeah right, very funny._

_Flash_

"_Let her go." L rose and walked towards me._

_What was he doing here? He must know it's dangerous. Did he truly believe I'm a normal child? Someone knock some sense into him…now who's the one that needs saving?_

_Flash_

"_Anna."_

_Wow, he's the detective trying to catch me. _Wow, _he remembered my name, now, why can't you just forget it? How hard is it to try and be invisible in front of you?_

_Flash_

"_L, my name is L."_

_Yeah, and why would you tell this to an assassin? It'll just make it easier for her to track you down. Oh wait, because we've met before you think I consider you a friend. Sure you saved my life…but I saved yours too, and you're the reason I'm stuck in this godforsaken country. Guess what? Assassins don't have friends, stop acting like you're my friend, you're irritating, go away._

_Flash_

"_ANNA!"_

_I could do nothing but lay there with the bullets embedded into my body, but my mind was asking questions. I just tried to kill him, he's acting like it's a bad thing that I'm dying, this doesn't add up._

_Flash_

_Her own voice filled her mind, traces of despair and hopelessness leaking through her words as she told him what she's been wanting to say sense she first laid eyes on him. "Go away. I'm a criminal; I don't deserve your sympathy. Just let me die."_

_Words of rejection, thoughts of rejection…through it all he still found me, of all people, worthy of being saved. L's lips curved up in a smile, "At least pay back the favors you owe me for saving you life."_

_A will to live…heh, this guy is pretty amazing._

_00000_

And now…he's dead.

"Our paths would've crossed eventually. You were, after all, the amazing detective while I was a criminal. But if only one little thing could've varied, I wouldn't be crying over your death." Anna laid his head down on her lap and closed her eyes, "for what it's worth, things turned out pretty well, didn't they?"

Sorrow turned his face away as the girl broke down over the detective's cold, dead body. Ryuk stared for a while, but even he could not find the heart to laugh. "Humans…" the Shinigami eventually muttered with disgust, and took off into the distance.

"Sheila!"

Anna didn't move, her fingers still stroking through L's messy hair. "Hello, Misa," she whispered, her voice barely audible. _It's funny…just a few hours ago I would've killed her on sight if this had happened…but…_

Misa's fell to her knees behind her. Rem turned around, letting her gaze meet with Sorrow for a fraction of a second, then turned her attention back onto Misa. "You lied to me…" she cried, "You lied! You never wanted to help me!"

"Partially true." Anna whispered tonelessly, "Light was using you, that much I'm quite sure of. But…I had to know if you were worth saving."

"He is…" Misa gestured to the motionless body.

"He is L." Anna answered, tears running freely from her eyes, "I love him."

"I killed him…" Misa stood and walked to her side, not knowing what to say.

Anna nodded and looked towards the girl she had befriended seemingly so long ago. Anger, rage, pain, suffering, loneliness, loss…all these feelings that she felt were inflicted by this girl, eyes wide with innocence, cold and shivering, horrified as she stood there in the rain. Horrified by the fact that she killed the one her only friend loved.

_Kill her!_

Both their eyes widened, as if the voice had spoken in both their minds.

_Kill her! She betrayed you!_

_Kill her! She killed the one you loved!_

Misa fell to her knees, horrified, panicked, and now confused as she reached for her Death Note. Almost instantly, the two Shinigami were upon her, dragging her away from the notebook, restraining her, protecting the other.

_She's powerless against you, they are all powerless against you, kill her now! She is at your mercy!_

Anna bit her lip, and clenched her hands into fists, her blood soon seeping into her mouth and mixing with the rain on the ground. "Leave, Misa." She hissed through clenched teeth. "Please leave while I can still control myself."

Rem narrowed her yellow, haunting eyes against hers, then wrapped Misa in her wings and soared into the sky, a second pair of wings propelling them against the wind and the rain. Sorrow glared after them, but said nothing. The Shinigami waited, he would wait an eternity, he told himself, if that's how long it takes for the flow of time to resume around his daughter.

Relaxing the tension of her muscles, Anna turned her attention back onto L's peaceful face. Right, now what am I supposed to do? What kind of instructions were those? Why did you have to go and show your face to that Shinigami?

_She's right, Anna, besides, Ryuk and Sorrow are still with you._

And what does Ryuk and Sorrow have to do with this? Zip, zero, nothing, none, done deal.

_Well, they are Gods of Death, are they not?_

Great, I'm having a conversation with my subconscious.

_Well, you don't honest believe he would leave you alone on this planet with you still getting those urges to kill some people every now and then._

"Shouldn't I be breaking down and trying to kill myself?" Anna said out loud, hoping the voice to go away.

_I don't think it's hit you yet._

Oh, great, so this depression thing is going to get worse.

_Probably tomorrow morning when you're expecting to see him somewhere and he's gone, buried in the ground somewhere._

Wait a sec, back up.

_Probably tomorrow morning when you're expecting to see him somewhere and he's gone, buried in the ground somewhere?_

No, back further.

_I don't think it's hit you yet?_

Nope.

_Shouldn't I be breaking down and trying to kill myself?_

Hey, I said that.

_Uh…you got me._

Sorrow and Ryuk are Gods of Death.

_Right, I said that._

Define God for me.

_An almighty being that controls all aspects of the universe?_

Good, now define Gods of Death.

_Are you sure?_

Nah, I can probably figure it out by myself, thanks voice.

_I have a name._

Oh really?

_Not important, you were saying…Gods of Death…_

Anna rose with a smile on her lips. "Sorrow, you're a God of Death."

"Don't look at me, I can't do a thing about whether or not people come back from the dead." The Shinigami shrugged, "The Shinigami King is in charge of that kind of stuff. I don't know much about it, probably equivalent exchange, or that sort of deal. I'm still a rookie Shinigami compared to some you now."

"I could care less." Anna replied, "We're going to the Shinigami Realm."

* * *

Author's Note: Wow, that was an amazingly short chapter. Sorry! It was originally meant to be a whole few scenes longer :D

But, alas, i had some last minute decisions to make. Just as i was about to update new ideas started popping into my head, and so i had to chat with them and develop them for a few days before making some vital decisions for Anna's life.

You see, it's hardly fair that we authors have to make important decisions for our characters.

I can imagine Kagetori now...

Kagetori: You enjoy playing with ppl's lives and you know it.

Hotori: Well, i suppose...

So, anyway. Some of the ideas were awesome but would just give me even more loose ends to tie up, besides, i would have to use some more throwaway characters like Mikami Teru and Takada Kiyomi, who served to advanced the plot, but ended up dying or stop being mentioned pretty much as soon as i introduced them. I hate doing that. So i decided to compromise and you will see the results in chapterst to follow.

Following the original plot, L had to die. I'm sorry, i've planned this since the beggining and...while i was writing chapters...7 to chapters 28, the death chapter (originally chapter 8) was already written. (Hey, i have patience!) you see, this simply had to happen for the next chapters to happen. I've wanted to bring L back from the dead as soon as i saw his death. I was quite determined. I was quite inspired by the song 1000 Words from Final Fantasy x-2, and subtly incorporated some aspects of the lyrics into the story. Mainly the "I know that your'e hiding things" "Save your tears" and the "Wait for me" verses for those of you who are willing to look up the lyrics. Well, eventually i plan to, hint at all but the choruses, as i love that song :D. But, um, enough about my latest obsession. This is the longest author's note i've ever written, certainly hope you guys read it...oh RIGHT!

This is totally unrelated to the story but, um, i got sent a petition. (I know there are tons of TWILIGHT NEWMOON and ECLIPSE (to draw attention with these words) fans here). Anyway, the petition is against Robert Pattison (or whatever his name is) playing as Edward Cullen for the movie. I for one, strongly dislike the fact that they're making such a guy play my perfect Edward. (yes, he's mine!) so, if you're interested, i could send it to you and you can sign it. they're looking at a goal of 1000 sigs and they've got around 700. :D So, i'll stop blabbing now.

REVIEW!! IT'LL MAKE ME UPDATE FASTER! MAYBE!


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

Author's PreNote: Oh my gosh, can you believe it? Chapter 30! I thought i would never get here, thanks for everyone's support!

* * *

"If you want to save him, you had best hurry." Sorrow said, "You may bring his soul and lifespan back, but his body has to be able to harbor it."

Anna nodded and wiped her eyes, then carried the cold body inside. "I need to preserve the body, tell me how."

"If the temperature is too cold, the water in his cells would freeze and rupture the membrane." Sorrow explained, "Submerge him in cold water and put ice in it. That should be sufficient for the time being, make sure his head is above the water, we can't have his lungs damaged from water."

"Thank god you're a doctor." Anna broke into a run to the nearest bathroom, and placed L's body in the bathtub, running freezing water into it. "I'll go to the kitchen to get ice."

The tub was nearly full with water when she got back. Quickly turning off the stream of water, she poured one full bucket of ice in it, gathering it around L's body. When she started to pour the second bucket of ice in, Sorrow's scarred hand pulled her back. "Not for him." He explained, "You need to preserve your own body, your soul will be leaving it and it too will be dying."

Anna stared at him, "Oh, fine." She made sure that L's head was above the water, and then shut herself in the shower stall. The cold water from the shower head hardly bothered her, she was already soaked, and then she poured the ice over herself, touching as many as possible to quickly lower her core temperature.

"You crazy girl." Ryuk, who had been quiet during this process, finally spoke up.

Anna smiled. "Wait and see." She said, and then snapped at Sorrow with her eyes closed, "Hurry up."

Mere moments later, she looked down at her own limp body, feeling a slight tug at the place where her heart would be. "Let's go." She informed the Shinigami, and held on to Sorrow's neck while the two Shinigami soared through the skies with her. Soon enough they vanished through the sky. The scenery turned from blue to black, white, and shades of grey. Lightning crackled, and a light glowed so bright Anna had to close her eyes and hold on to Sorrow with all her might.

A mysterious force tugged at her from the beginning of their journey, and soon enough the slight tug where her heart would be was almost enough to rip her apart, Anna held on to Sorrow as tight as she can, "Is the journey to the Shinigami Realm always so difficult?" she questioned, "I'm feeling this…"

"Only if you have an attachment to you in the human world," Ryuk cackled, "What? You feel like you're torn to pieces?"

Anna suppressed a moan, "Why do you ask?" she replied sarcastically.

"It's your body." Sorrow explained, "Souls remain in the body, they hate to leave it, but when they do the connection is like an elastic cord. It won't ever snap unless something either happens to the mortal body or the soul, but as the distance between the two stretches, it will hurt a bunch."

A black portal stretched around them, Anna narrowed her eyes, preparing herself, and then they were blasted through the hole to the other side. At least, she thought it was they. But Anna could see nothing of the two Shinigami, it was an eerie grey landscape, stretching on for miles and miles on end.

A cold wind passed through her almost freezing her entire being, but as soon as the feeling came, it was gone. Anna's vision became blurred, but that was gone too, and an eerie gray spirit stood in front of her.

It walked through me…Anna realized, and reached out for it, but not only did her hand simply go through the spirit, it turned around.

"L…"

The detective's face was emotionless, and the spirit broke into a run.

Anna smiled and ran towards the faint spirit, but as she closed the distance between them, something seemed odd. "L! Wait!"

L's spirit stopped and turned again, particles gathering from the air and gathering into his core. His image became clearer, less shadowed, more solid. "L, where are you taking me?" Anna huffed, out of breath from the long run. But the detective did not answer; he raised a hand to touch her face, his hand as real as it ever was. "L…" she sighed unconsciously, and walked forward to embrace the spirit tightly.

"You are a peculiar human, aren't you?"

Anna's eyes snapped open as she instinctively took a sharp step back. "You're not L," she hissed, her amber eyes burning with anger. "Show yourself."

"If you insist." The spirit cackled.

The image of L was torn apart by sheer power contained inside. Anna took three more steps back as the darkness wound themselves into a shape of a horrific monster, a hundred times bigger than Sorrow or Ryuk, and then, miraculously, squeezed into the shape of a near human like being. Somehow, it became a woman of unrivaled beauty, with a face that spoke of innocence, and exquisite features that tells nothing of the thoughts that linger behind them.

"What are you?" Anna whispered; her fists ready in front of her face.

"One of the seven Greater Dead." A familiar voice answered behind her. In a flash, Sorrow's wings whipped out, wrapping around Anna's small frame. "This is one of the Seven Sins created since the beginning of time, Lust."

_Kill her; she is at your mercy!_

"_If only if you had your freedom…If only you could kill them all. Look at yourself, weak, pathetic. You're a caged eagle, a lamb to the slaughter." _

That voice, paralyzing in its sweetness, terrorizing in its cruelty, the one called at her to die, and called at her to kill was… "Lust, you're the voice speaking to me."

"And what a strong, resilient soul you are." The sickeningly sweet voice replied, almost unreal spoken through the serene, elegant face. "You couldn't even bear the image of his touch, clinging on to him as desperate as you did. Pathetic, and here I thought you'd be something else. I guess you can't have everything you wanted, so why don't you die here?"

"You can't!" Sorrow growled dangerously, "She is protected by-"

A flash, and Sorrow's words were choked off by a ferocious hand at his throat, Lust's fingers digging into his neck. "Too bad, Shinigami, I'm one of the Greater Dead, I'm above all your rules. In fact, why don't I just kill you here and the girl

afterwards?"

"You wouldn't dare." Anna spat.

"Watch me." Lust grinned, her lips stretching from ear to ear, revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth.

"I'd rather not."

Lust's hand immediately retreated as she jumped back and hissed in annoyance. A fierce golden light had erupted out of the gray sky, and Anna could barely see against the glaring light beside her. A golden sword etched with mysterious markings extended towards Lust, who had once again composed her features to a beautiful, innocent human girl, the sword was powerful, but even more ancient was it's wielder, raging with light, it's radiance showering over the girl and the Shinigami in fierce rays.

"You stay away from the girl, Lust." The powerful voice echoed over the plains.

Lust grinned, "Until next time, Archangel." She bowed her head in mock submission, grinned, and disappeared into the air as gigantic wings erupted out of her relatively small form and consumed her.

"Too bright…" Anna barely managed to whisper.

"Oh, sorry." The blinding light immediately dulled to a mere glimmer around the angel's shape, revealing his features, as the Archangel knelt beside her, clad in a long white robe that fell to his feet. A thin piece of metal in a hexagonal shape hung around his neck, with something like a symbol embedded into the center.

Anna gasped in surprise, the Archangel that had so easily dispelled one of the greater dead looked nothing more that a boy around her age. Though his appearance was that of a young human, his golden eyes showed anger at the Shinigami's actions, worry for her, and wisdom beyond her understanding. "Archangel?" Anna tried out the words, to find herself surprised again by the spirit's brilliant, bright smile.

"My name is Gabriel; I am one of the Seven Archangels that guard the Kingdom." Awkwardly, the archangel smiled, "Sorry if I scared you, are you alright?"

"Umm, yeah, sure," Anna stood up and dusted herself, "No injuries." She laughed nervously herself, "I'm really unsure of what to say to an Archangel."

"Oh but you've said so much before." Gabriel smiled and helped her to her feet.

"Said what?" Anna frowned.

"_No Anna! You must fight it! Your time has not come!"_

"_Live on! Open your eyes!!"_

"_He's right, Anna, besides, Ryuk and Sorrow are still with you."_

"That was you?" Anna exclaimed, blushing a bit, "You're the voice…"

"The very same."

"Okay…well now I'm even more unsure of what to say."

"You can start with why you are here." Gabriel's expression turned serious, his golden eyes dangerously narrowed, "Why won't you stay in your mortal world and live your life? I guess you don't know how worried we were, watching your body just go limp like that…"

"I want L's soul back." Anna replied, somewhat agitated by the Archangel's negative response. "Why are the Archangels interested in me anyway?"

"Doesn't matter, you can't bring back the dead, go home." Gabriel commanded.

"Kill me here." Anna challenged, her chin held high," You're not making a difference."

Gabriel clenched his teeth, "You're more powerful than you think you are, do you think that your life is valuable to only you?"

"You should know I'm an assassin, I will never be missed, in fact, only two people on earth know my name, and one of them is dead!" Anna's amber eyes burned into the Archangel's golden orbs, she meant her words. No one will be sad that she died, Mello, Matt, and Near would understand after knowing what happened to L. Other than that…who could possibly miss her? Misa can just get over it by telling herself that she was a traitor, and Light? No way.

Gabriel sighed, "You really don't understand, but you're determined," he grinned, "you're determined just like me. That determination will keep you alive, don't let that fire in you burn out, ever." With those words, he pulled out a giant feather from one of his wings, and with a breath, turned it into a mini hexagon just like the one around his neck. "This will only help you on the spiritual plane. If you need, call my name, I'll be watching. And by the way," he grinned mischievously as he soared into the sky, "keep that name, Anna, it's a good name."

"Archangels," Sorrow scoffed, "confusing as always."

Anna examined the miniature hexagon, and tucked into her pocket. As soon as she made out the lines of the two teardrops balancing precariously on the scale on the hexagon, the Archangel's title was immediately embedded into her mind. Gabriel was the Lord of Justice.

"It's starting." Sorrow warned, breaking her out of her thoughts as he stepped away from her.

A sudden glow erupted out of the ground, complete in a circle that imprisoned her inside. Anna knelt down and touched the faint markings, tracing them up to the golden shimmering barrier. She was trapped in a half sphere.

Suddenly, dark portals emerged around her, outside the encased dome, Ryuk emerged, followed by countless other Shinigami. Anna squinted, and then felt a wave of negative dark wash over her back, its aura so strong that it pressed her down onto her knees. "What the…" she murmured through her clenched teeth, the saw that Shinigami were everywhere, in all shapes and sizes, all their eyes focused on her.

"Well, we're here." Ryuk landed on the ground, his wings folding.

Anna looked around them. More Shinigami were already gathering, looking at her intently, and their gaze dripping with lust. "A human in the Shinigami Realm?" one of them laughed.

"Who?" Another Shinigami squeezed by, eager to see what the excitement was all about.

"There, the one called Sheila."

"Look behind you." Sorrow whispered, as he and Ryuk stepped into the half sphere dome, helping her to her feet. "Don't worry; only those involved are allowed into this dome, you must make your demand."

Taking in a deep breath for confidence, Anna stared at the dark aura surrounding what seemed to be a…man? "I want a certain soul." She called to the dark figure that loomed in front of her. "I want the soul and lifespan of L Lawliet." Her hands hardened into fists. If this doesn't work…she doesn't know what she will do.

The Shinigami King stayed silent for a while, "Your name?" he asked.

Rain was beginning to fall in the Shinigami Realm as well. The droplets dampened the earth, until Anna was standing in a pool of mud. No Shinigami moved, nothing this interesting has happened since, well, ever. Ryuk cackled beside her.

"Sheila Faust." She said out loud.

"Very well," the Shinigami King answered, "The name of the Death God who killed this Lawliet?"

Anna smiled; she had heard the name only too many times. "Rem."

The dark figure nodded, "and what are you willing to exchange for his soul?"

"You name it." Anna shrugged.

The Shinigami King laughed, "Dear girl," he said mockingly, "there was others who happened to come across the Death Note and asked me for favors before, and they paid for it. They paid with years of service to me after death. The stupid humans became Shinigami and were slaves to me, but in your case, the favor you ask is great, very great."

"How many years?" Anna asked, fear tingling in her, but she did not show it.

"An eternity I'm afraid." The Shinigami King cackled, "And even then, you would have to fight Rem for the lifespan she took from Lawliet." The dark shadow moved closer. "Well? Are you willing to pay an eternity of slavery to me, as well as fight a Death God, knowing your chances are near nothing of winning?"

"May I ask a question?"

"Yes?"

"How do Shinigami come into being?"

The red eyes on the dark figure narrowed, "A Shinigami is a dead human, who has no attachments to the human world, and has killed many, and committed unforgivable sins."

"So can Yagami Light become a Shinigami?"

"Yagami Light has family, doesn't he?"

"I see…" Anna shivered in the rain, "Okay I've no problem with it."

"If you lose to Rem, you sacrifice would've been for nothing." The Shinigami King warned.

"I know." She answered to his challenge defiantly, "So?"

"Very well," The Shinigami King turned to Ryuk, he said, "Bring Rem back here."

Ryuk said nothing, and then spread his wings and flew away, his form soon turning into a speck of darkness in the distance.

"Sheila." Ryuk poked her shoulder, and Anna looked in the direction Ryuk pointed to. What she saw there made her face twist angrily, her eyes narrowed into slits, her teeth clenched in disbelief.

_How could they?_

Bloodlust flared in the back of her mind.

_How dare they?_

Images swam before her eyes, spinning, attacking, retreating…every single possible way to kill someone flashed through her memory, refreshing the muscles with new reflexive knowledge.

L's shimmering soul hung helplessly over a dark portal. He was unconscious, his eyes closed and his head hanging limply in front of him. His arms were raised on either side of him, bound in chains to a horrendous bone made cross. His time in the Shinigami was short, but already it made its mark on him. A thin, sharp blade in the color of the darkest night pierced through soul and bones in the direct center of his chest, imprisoning him mercilessly in the Shinigami Realm.

Then miraculously, L opened his eyes.

"Hey there spirit," One Shinigami laughed mockingly, "Finally awake? Good, wouldn't want to miss the show, you see-"

"That's enough, Sekyo." The Shinigami King cut him off, and the Shinigami immediately went silent. Clearly, no one dared disobeyed the Shinigami King. He turned to Anna, "Don't bother; he can't hear outside the dome, and only those who I will to understand me are able to hear my words."

Anna looked into L's eyes. They had changed. He was afraid, he was terrified, and he wanted to leave the horrid dark Shinigami Realm. But above all, they were grateful, he hoped she would come.

"Anna…"

"Don't even try to tell me I shouldn't have come." She smiled at him knowing he can at least read her lips, "I know I did the right thing. I'm going to fight Rem for the rest of your lifespan."

L looked into her eyes, "Thank you."

Rem landed heavily beside Anna, shaking her out of her eye lock with the detective's spirit. Anna looked up at the Shinigami calmly, "Rem, I'm going to take L's lifespan back. Hope you're ready for this."

The Shinigami couldn't spare her a second glance; instead, Rem was looking at L. After a few seconds of silence, Rem returned her attention to Anna, "how far are you willing to go to get his life back?"

"I already gave up my eternity for slavery." Anna hissed between her lips so L wouldn't hear. "I'll fight you; I'll get him back or die trying."

Rem sighed, "The lengths humans go to for love."

"The lengths Shinigami go for love." Anna countered, her eye fixed on the Shinigami.

When she looked, Anna couldn't read the emotions behind the detective's eyes, she didn't want to anyway, all she wanted was to help him in anyway she can. She had secretly, without his notice or permission, helped him on thousands of cases. But no matter how much she'd done, it still doesn't make up for him saving her life not once, but four times. She had paid back one of those favors on the same night he rescued her from the men that were experimenting for her. Now, here in the Shinigami Realm, she will pay back another.

"Right." The Shinigami King said, snapping everyone's attention to him, "Rem, you will fight this human girl. If she wins, she gets the lifespan you took from the detective. If she loses…it will be an incredibly happy day here in the Shinigami Realm."

The Shinigami formed a circle around Rem and Anna, enclosing them in the dome Anna wiped some wet hair from her face, her amber eyes closed for a moment. "I never thought I would willingly become an assassin again." She whispered softly, and her eyes snapped open. The gentle, sadness in them was gone, replaced by a fierce light that was hungry for blood.

She licked her lips.

"Let's get this over with, Rem."

* * *

Author's Note: So, we get a lil more foreshadowing on Anna's role with the Archangels and the Shinigami. I had to revise tons to make sure everything worked out. Originally, the scene with Archangel Gabriel and Lust wasn't there, but i felt like adding it. (characters kept talking and wouldn't leave me alone T.T)

It's a longer chapter!

See, this was supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but that would've been realllly long. Well, maybe not, but long for me. (I know some readers (me) tend to get bored when the chapters are tooooo long. Anyway, leave a review! I would really like everyone to help me brainstorm Angelish names. (I'm not telling why) Currently i have my seven Archangels: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Remiel, Uriel, Zerachiel, Raguel. The "Ladies": Lady Beth, (whom i've introduced) and Lady Eva (coming soon). Male and female names are both welcome! Thanks!

Hotori


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

Note: Archangels and the Seven Sins are taken from various resources. ex. wikipedia, bible... but the characters (like personality and the like) are purely original.

* * *

Anna went at Rem first, pulling the dagger from her boot. She knew that in the human world, Shinigami were invincible unless they had fallen for a human. Was it the same in the Shinigami Realm? Anna knew that it would still be near impossible to kill Rem, but maybe…if she just could…

Rem stepped aside at the strike, and countered with her own arm. Anna raised her dagger to block, but Rem's arm turned to mist, went through the knife, then solidified again and hit Anna squarely in the face, sending her flying for two meters before crashing to the ground.

"That's cheating." Anna spat, glaring at Rem, her amber eyes aflame.

Rem shrugged, "Call it what you like." She responded.

Anna recovered quickly from the strike. Even though she was a human, her speed outmatched that of Rem. The dagger slashed across the Shinigami's chest, throat, and face. However, each time, Rem's body had simply turned the smoke, nothing harmed her. Meanwhile, Anna's strength was declining.

Seeing her chance, Rem's hand struck out and found Anna's throat. She pinned her to the ground. "This is a pathetic effort. Give up."

Anna's fingers tried to pry open Rem's hand, to no avail. "N-No." she choked.

"Why do you want him back with you in the human world?" Rem questioned again, "If you must know, even if you save him, your own lifespan is coming to an end, very soon."

Anna's eyes widened, "You're saying I'm going to die soon?"

Rem looked up at the Shinigami King. Who was too interested in these events to care much about the rules. He waved for Rem to carry on.

"Yes." Rem replied, "I can see your lifespan with these eyes, and I can see that your own life is coming to an end."

Anna laughed slashed at the Shinigami's wrist, causing everything from the joint down to turn into smoke. Released from Rem's grasp, she rubbed her sore throat. "My lifespan is put on hold, remember?" she cut a Rem's shoulder, and as her one arm turned to mist, she jammed the knife into the joint. "Besides, even if I am going to die, who cares? Too late now."

"You don't know anything." Rem was unharmed by the weapon, her hand lashed out, and her crooked claws slashed a deep wound into the assassin's side.

Anna's retreat was swift, one hand clutching her wound, she rolled and jumped in reaction to the Shinigami's attack. Rem was faster than she seemed, and soon enough, cuts crisscrossed on Anna's weary form.

"You'll never win." Rem sighed.

"Go to hell." Anna spat, then paused, cocking her head to one side, "oh wait, you're already there."

"So are you, your point?" Rem lunged at her again, taking advantage of Anna's bleeding legs, and caught her throat with an extended arm as she tried to jump away. Mercilessly, the Shinigami pressed her against the crackling barrier of the dome. "You talk tough, but what've you really got?"

Anna glared at the Shinigami. Every scratch she had ever inflicted on the Shinigami's thick hide was quickly healed, Rem seemed able to heal infinitely, a trick she didn't know how to use. Worse yet, the ever present tug from her mortal body grew stronger and stronger as she grew weaker, as if wanting to pull her back to safety. Both spirits, but the Shinigami had an advantage she would never gain, unless she can find a weapon to fight the Shinigami with…

_What the hell are you doing! Call my name!_

"Archangel…" she mouthed, her hand fumbling for the hexagon in her pocket. Unaware, Rem closed her hand around Anna's throat and threw her to the side. "Archangel…" Anna whispered, as her fingers finally closed firmly around the metal hexagon. Just as Rem prepared to strike again, she brought it out in front of her, closed her eyes and shouted at the top of her voice.

"GABRIEL!"

A brilliant white light shattered the grey skies, chasing away the rain and clouds. Two wings emerged, breaking the cocoon-like wrap of light, revealing the ancient angel inside.

The archangel smiled, "Archangel Gabriel, arrived as summoned."

Anna looked up at the voice, and found that she was nearly blinded by the light. Beautiful white rays pierced through the dense grey fog, and Gabriel's figure hovered above them in the utmost grace, protected by a pair of brilliant white wings that sprouted from the angel's back.

Suddenly, a choked roar was heard as one of the nearby Shinigami soared up to meet the angel, claws at ready. What happened after was a blur, there was a pause in the wind, followed by the Shinigami's agonized scream as he fell, crumbling to dust that drifted away before he even hit the ground. "A-archangel…" he gasped hoarsely, his very last words.

"Archangel Gabriel, you honor us with your presence." The Shinigami King greeted. "I am curious as to how you've arrived, but we must give you a welcome first."

At his words, seven more dark portals fused out of thin air, out of each step a gigantic Shinigami shrouded in the same darkness as the Shinigami King. "It has been a while, Archangel." One of them said, cackling.

"Greed." The white figure known as Archangel Gabriel replied courteously. His white aura had faded, flowing down his body onto the sword that slashed through the previous Shinigami. As the light receded, revealing his face, Anna was again surprised to see that the mighty archangel looked but a feisty boy around her own age. "I'm not here to fight you yet, Satan." Gabriel addressed the Shinigami King again, and then lowered his gaze to meet Anna's eyes.

Anna almost fell dead at the weight of the immortal's powerful, golden gaze. Gabriel smiled, then with a flick of his wrist, sent his sword crashing through the dome, sending Rem staggering back in fear. The sword's tip was embedded in the soft earth in front of Anna, who quickly got to her knees and put her hands on the handle. "That's the only weapon that can defeat a Shinigami, Sheila Faust," Gabriel said, "use it."

As soon as she touched the finely crafted hilt, the sword's blinding light flowed through the connection to her, healing her wounds, mending tissues and muscles, repairing organs. As well, when the light reached her eyes, they grew heavy, and when Anna was able to peel open her eyelids again, everything was different. The Shinigami Realm was brighter, and above each of the Shinigami's head, a name and lifespan was shown. "Oh my god." She whispered, the lifted the sword, finding that it has already customized for her touch. Rem's eyes narrowed, Anna charged.

With each blow dealt, the numbers above Rem's head raced towards zero, counting down to the end of existence. Smiling at her newfound power, Anna swung the sword, separated Rem's arm from her shoulder, and then with another swing, dismembered her legs. Saving the head for decapitation, she stuck the shining blade into the center of Rem's chest, pinning her to the ground.

The spell marks on the blade flashed, burning away at the Shinigami's flesh while her lifespan raced towards zero. A new set of numbers had appeared in Anna's vision, and it took the lifespan taken off, and transformed it into human years, another advantage to the holy sword.

"Each year you take off gives the soul one more year to live." Archangel Gabriel explained, "Judge well, Sheila Faust."

"Sheila Faust." Rem croaked, her haunting eyes staring into hers, "You have won, I will die, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like you to look after Amane Misa."

Anna hesitated at her words, but with another glance at the numbers, she reached forward and pulled the sword out of the Shinigami's chest, watching as the numbers came to a slow halt. "I'm done here." She told Rem, "You're the one that cares for Misa, you take care of her."

"After everything…"

"Yeah, I know, I'm just too nice to people," Anna replied, the helped the Shinigami sit up and rejoin her limbs. "Or non-people, if you'd prefer."

"Well done." Gabriel smiled.

"Well done indeed." The Shinigami King's voice surprised them all, "I meant for you to join us earlier Sheila, but fear not, you will join us shortly. Enjoy your time on earth while you can. In the mean time, Archangel Gabriel, I believe you wanted to take her with you?"

"I will be taking the three Shinigami as well as the girl." Gabriel's smile faded instantly, "I thank you for your hospitality."

"Don't be expecting it next time, Archangel." The Shinigami King replied with a smug grin, "Greed and Envy will be escorting you out of Hell's Gate."

"Remember to post stronger guards." Gabriel replied, and then folding his wings, he descended towards the dome, which flashed once, and was gone. "Rem, Ryuk, return the detective's soul." The angel commanded, and the two Shinigami hurried to obey. "You did well, Sheila Faust, but you are still not quite well. Sorrow can come with us for further healing; I have brought another angel with me." He reached forward and helped her to her feet, taking the gold-cored blade from her and storing it in a silver sheath at his waist.

"I'm not done." Anna fixed her eyes on the Shinigami King; her voice reigned with confidence, supplied by the mighty angel by her side. "I want L protected from all powers of the Death Note and the Shinigami Realm."

"In return?"

"I will give up my own protection from your powers." Anna replied.

"No!" Gabriel whispered, but the Shinigami Kind smiled darkly.

"Done." He boomed, "Now get out of my sight."

"It was my decision to make, and I thank you, Archangel Gabriel," Anna said, her breathing raspy and her voice hoarse. "You saved my life."

"Yes, please endure for a while more." With those words, the Archangel gathered her broken body in his arms and soared into the sky, Sorrow close behind. Greed and Envy followed at a distance, not daring to close the gap. "We would've welcomed you too, Raymond, if you had chosen the other path." Gabriel commented softly, drawing a grunt and a sigh from Sorrow. Then the Archangel narrowed his eyes, and they burst out of Hell's Gate together, leaving the two gigantic Shinigami behind. "Oh, that's not good." The archangel commented, "There's only supposed to be one angel there."

Two of the waiting angels were girls with long flowing blonde hair. One of them had two small braids in front that were pinned into her hair, while the other's was blowing free in the wind. Two male angels stood there as well, one of which had an aura stronger than that of Gabriel's while the other had a sense of wisdom about him. All four were ancient, powerful angels.

"Lady Eva," Gabriel addressed the angel with braids, and placed Anna into her small, but firm arms. "Please heal her." After smiling to the angel, the archangel turned awkwardly to face the other three. "Greetings, Lady Beth, Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael."

"You went into Hell by yourself, and you even brought Lady Eva with you." Michael stated the facts, "You've caused quite a stir, Archangel Gabriel, I thought we discussed that you were going to be patient."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, "I saved the girl from an unjust death."

"Angels are not to interfere with Shinigami deals." Lady Beth said quietly, but with authority, "You should know this, Archangel."

Before Gabriel could answer, Raphael spoke, "Technically, Gabriel did not interfere, and in no way did he touch the opposing Shinigami. Tossing the right weapons was never specified, though your little healing tactic could give them an excuse."

"She summoned me, and I can't stand by and watch two innocent souls fall-"

"We know." The three angels said in perfect unison.

"We understand you're the Lord of Justice, Gabriel, but try to think of the consequences." Raphael sighed, "This could give the Shinigami a reason to start the war even earlier than we have anticipated, and we are not ready."

"Justice doesn't mix with thinking first, acting later, Raphael, Lord of Wisdom." Gabriel said, "I cannot be sorry for my actions, but I will refrain from doing these things in the future, if it makes you happy."

AHEM. Sorrow did his famous cough thing, "This girl's mortal body is dying as we speak?"

"Right." Gabriel looked to Lady Eva, when she signaled that she was finished, the archangel placed the girl in Sorrow's arms, "We will see you again, Sheila Faust." He smiled at Anna, and took the hexagon from her, letting it reform into one of his feathers. "Go home now, and no, I can't have you summoning me into the mortal realm."

"Thank you, Archangel Gabriel, Lady Eva, and thank you for your concern, Archangel Michael, Raphael, Lady Beth."

The angel nodded their farewell, and then at a snap of Michael's finger, the duo disappeared into the air. Raphael frowned, "I see none of us had the guts to kill her while she was in her spirit form."

"If we had, the war would've been a draw at best." Gabriel replied.

"And now that we let them go, we have a chance of being completely annihilated." Lady Beth added sorrowfully.

"Only time will tell." Michael motioned for the angels to follow him, and they soared, gliding far into the distance, until not a trace of the powerful angels can be detected.

* * *

Author's Note: I am actually quite pleased with this chapter. It's alright. I wasn't extremely pleased with it, but i never am with anything :D SO. There ya go. I still feel that the showdown was too short. But i never was good at describing fights. (so i think.) I draw them sometimes, but its harder to put on paper. I tried to the best of my ability and that's what counts. PLZ REVIEW!!

I keep thinking i missed something...hummm..

please review? please?

Oh, btw, i might take longer with the next chapt because u know...they just both returned from the dead...romance...mumble mumble...maybe... and OH if i time this thing right, Stella might make an entrance next chapt!! DUN DUN DUNNNN...


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

Author's Note: I just noticed that the previous chapter was named chapter 30 when it should really be chapter 31. Soo...yeah, this is actually chapter 32 :D:D

* * *

"Anna."

She felt someone gently shake her, and her eyelids fluttered open. L stared back at her, a nervous, frightened look on his face, and water dripping from the tips of his bangs. She had never seen him so scared. Then again, even though he was still soaked, he was very much alive. "Hey." Anna smiled, and threw her arms around his neck, "Thank god."

"Thanks to God, and thanks to you." L replied, stroking her back comfortingly. "Are you alright? Ryuk and Rem tells me that wounds inflicted on the soul mark the physical body as well. How do you feel?"

"Better, I was healed, well, not completely I guess." She looked on the bruises that still marred her arms. She ached all over, and her lip was still bleeding. "I guess Lady Eva wasn't able to complete her healing process. How are you feeling? I'm going to guess that death wasn't that pleasant of an experience." She released him, and turned off the cold water still pouring from the showerhead.

They stood opposite each other against the cold wall of the room, cold, still in a shock from their near death experience. "I was scared, well, terrified actually." L closed his eyes, "Everything was over, hopeless. My soul felt like it was being pulled in one direction, and then, a stronger connection pulled me in another direction. I tried to resist it, I knew it wasn't the place I was meant to go, but there was nothing I could do, it was a heavy drag, like chains. It was terrifying. I hated it."

"Souls separated from their body by the power of the notebook are in bound to the Shinigami Realm, an eternity of torture and pain." Sorrow growled hoarsely, "You were meant for the Kingdom of Heaven, detective, but the power of the notebook dragged you through Hell's Gate, that's all it was."

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" L stared into Sorrow's eyes, it was the first time the detective ordered the Death Gods anywhere, and Anna was surprised by the tone of authority in his voice.

Sorrow narrowed his eyes, then dragged Ryuk by the wing through the wall. Anna's gaze lingered on the wall for a second more, then felt a soft pressure on her shoulder.

Unexpectedly, L had leaned forward and buried his face into Anna's shoulder, "I felt so weak and helpless. All the reason I have, all my knowledge and all my power could no nothing to save me. Thank you, for coming."

"You're welcome." Anna replied, holding him as they waited. It was worth it. A eternity of servitude as a Shinigami, now that she had made the deal, the promise Sorrow made was sure to be cancelled sooner or later by the Shinigami King, and from then on, she had a short time until the coming of her own death. She would treasure her time here on earth, whatever the angels meant by their words…

L straightened, "What was your price?"

Anna laughed, prepared to answer, "Does it really matter? I would've done it no matter the cost."

L frowned, and raised his hand to wipe away the water from her face, "I would prefer to know, but then again, I'm not sure." He murmured, "But I have learned one thing from my experience. I don't want you to go through the same thing, Anna, never, ever go to that place again. Stay away from it, for eternity, understand?"

"Whatever you say," Anna's thoughts flowed to Sorrow, who, on the other side of the wall, closed his eyes sadly and turned away. The Shinigami were freed from their bonds, her life counted again, smoothly, as if never made to pause in the first place, and as soon as it reaches zero, she would spend her eternity in the Shinigami Realm, but that was in the future. It was a future that she would have to face alone, but it was better that way, for both of them. "Remember what you said when I first saw you?"

"I said you were normal, like everyone else."

"After so long, I guess I finally am." Anna raised her hand to his face, tracing the dark bags under his eyes, and pressed her lips against his. They both closed their eyes, enclosing the other within the confines of their arms, holding on tightly at pure joy of being together again after the hopeless dark has passed.

L pulled her off her balance and on to himself where he leaned against the wall, one hand entangled in hers, the other holding her tightly against him at the waist. Their lips parted for a fraction of a second, "Thank you." He whispered, and kissed her again, simply holding her, both unmoving, like time it self had stopped in place.

He wished it could pause it forever, but there were still matters to be dealt with. Stella Archer especially, was his biggest concern.

The detective opened his eyes and gently eased away from the kiss. "We should both change before we catch some incurable disease." L said as he passed a towel from the rack behind him. "What do you intend to do about Amane Misa?"

"I know exactly what to do." Anna replied as she wrapped herself in the towel and headed to her room. "I won't kill Misa, she doesn't deserve it. Yagami Light is the one that used her from the beginning, but even Light…"

"You've grown more merciful." L stated, "Good. But don't let it get you killed."

"Oh please," Anna grinned as she disappeared behind her door, "it's just death.'

Grinning in amusement, as he entered his own room, L toweled himself dry, and pulled on new (and the exact same looking) clothes. He never bothered tame his messy hair, they just went in crazy directions like they always did.

Alive once more, L decided to sit at his computer once more and ponder over the case. But as he descended from his room and walked over to his computer, the alarm at the door beeped once, and went out. The detective narrowed his eyes and quickly strode to the door. Who would, or could, break into his security system? It would take talented hands-his chain of thought was cut off abruptly as the door slid open, and the person on the other side jumped through at the sight of him.

Immobilized, arms pressed tightly against his sides, L's first instinct was to break out of his opponents grip and do a flip kick to get himself out of range. But a closer look identified the person to be laughing. The girl was laughing quietly to herself as she hugged him.

"I found you, L." she smiled, and released him, her hands on his shoulders as she looked into his eyes. "Remember me?"

L did not speak, his eyes were wide in shock.

"I knew it." The stranger wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him again gently; resting her head on his chest as L opened his eyes and glared against the wall. "I came to work with you, I always wanted to."

A door creaked open, followed by Anna's curious voice. "L?"

The detective broke out of the girl's embrace and stood to face Anna. But the newcomer was faster. "Alice? What are you…" her eyes examined both of them, frowning.

This is going to look really bad. Anna and L thought in unison. She was wearing a short sleeved shirt and pants, the bruises on her forearm and her neck from where the Shinigami grabbed her were in easy view. More over, she had a bleeding lip and they were both still kind of wet. (Author's Note: Ok, ppl, we all know what this looks like, P)

"You know each other?" L looked between Anna and the wide eyed girl.

"What's going on here?" the girl said accusingly, still studying both of them in disbelief.

"Not what it looks like, it's been a while, Stella." Anna gestured between L and herself awkwardly.

"I'd like to believe you!" Stella was still glaring pointedly at her, "What are you doing here?"

Slightly annoyed and a small bit jealous, Anna narrowed her eyes, "Helping him, what are you doing here?"

"Um-" L tried to interject, but was cut off abruptly without being given a chance to speak.

"I'm his fiancée." Stella said with quiet authority.

L sighed, covering his face with his hand as he rubbed his temples. This was not how it was supposed to turn out. Furthermore, Stella was sick from leukemia and was supposed to be dead! But, here was his problem, and it was his turn to fix it as Anna now stared at him, not with anger, but confusion, and Stella certainly wasn't going to give up her role in his life. Furthermore, there was the Shinigami Sorrow's reaction to worry about, should he find out.

"May I speak with her alone for a moment?"

Anna nodded, her face expressionless and for once impossible to read, "By the way," she added to Stella, "My name is Sheila Faust, I'm also known as Anna, I'm an assassin."

"Not really the welcome party I was expecting." Stella turned to face L.

"How can you be alive?"

"You don't sound very happy that I'm alive." Stella frowned, puzzled.

L shook his head, "It's not that. It's amazing, actually, that you're alive, and it gives me the utmost pleasure to see you again, shall we go for a walk?"

It didn't take them long to walk down within the deeper reaches of a park, where cement sidewalks became dirt trails and single trees became clusters. L was silent for the most part, as was Stella. They walked briskly, not wanting their conversation to be overheard, though for different reasons.

"It's been a long time, L." Stella said, when they were far enough into the park, "Twelve years right?"

"Yeah, twelve years isn't it," L replied, "since I last heard from you."

Stella nodded with a faint smile, "Were you worried?"

L shrugged, "Not particularly." He glanced sideways at Stella, "If you left, you didn't want to be found. Even if I did find you, they'd make you go back, which is something you don't want, correct?"

"You're still as brilliant as ever." Stella sped up and placed her hand on his elbow.

"Hey." L stopped walking and glanced at her.

"Sorry." Stella laughed and took off her hand, "After twelve years, I thought you might be a bit more-"

L kept on walking, "Sorry to disappoint."

"Still made of ice." She smiled, "twelve years, I missed you. Do you ever think about me?"

"Once in a while." L replied impassively, "Mostly I've been busy, and I thought you were dead."

"Somehow you seem more distant than before." Stella frowned.

"I have been busier than before too." L said.

Stella nodded, "I guess we've both changed, even though, I think if you had to leave again, I would still cry."

_Flashback_

"_It's a shame, what happened, but we need you to take his place." Watari explained, "When do you want to leave."_

"_Tonight," I replied, hugging my knees. "The case can't be stopped, the more gap in time, the less there will be to work with, but we'll leave late, after everyone has gone to sleep. Mello and Near can come, but no one else, no one is to know I'm leaving until tomorrow morning."_

_But one person did find out, the one passing by Mello and Near's rooms as the information was told to the two young boys. The only one I had hoped to stop._

"_Goodbye, Ryuuzaki." Mello waved, and Near nodded with a grin._

_I regarded each of them with my dark eyes, Near understood, but Mello as usual, lets the meaning slip by. It's up to them to take my place now, should I fail. The boys returned to their rooms in a quick jog, the rain was hard, a fitting night for my leave, I can't help but think. But as soon as Near and Mello were out of sight, I spotted her, standing there in the rain, soaked to the bone._

"_Ryuuzaki, please don't leave!" Stella said weakly, staggering over to me._

"_Ella, go back." I told her, "Your body can't take this."_

_But she staggers forward and wraps her arms around my neck, "You shouldn't have to go." She sobbed, "You're twelve! Alex went when he was eighteen!"_

"_The one before him lasted longer than he did. So now I have to take his place, whether it's bad luck or whatever, I still have to go." Explaining wasn't much use, and Stella had a strong grip. I had to get her out of this rain before it kills her. Stella had an overwhelming amount of white blood cells in her body, but most of them were dysfunctional, should she get sick, she could potentially die._

"_Ella let go, you have to get back inside." I tried to push her away, but her ten year old hands wouldn't give way._

_Watari and the others watched sympathetically, but I was getting impatient. "Look Ella, you'll die out here."_

"_But you'll die!" she cried, and clung on even tighter._

"_You underestimate me." I told her, but she won't believe me. It was true; no L ever had a good death, or died of old age. Most of them were eventually found out and killed. Alex had died the same way, who is to say the same wouldn't happen to me? "I am justice Ella, they can't defeat justice."_

"_They defeated Alex."_

"_Alex wasn't justice." I replied, but there was no way of getting her to let go. "Alright Ella enough, get in the car."_

_I pulled her into the car with me and told Watari to drive. Even with an umbrella, I was half soaked from her clinging, but that didn't really matter, I won't cause her to die._

"_Come on." I took her hand and led her into the ice cream bar. It was open 24 hours a day, but still the waitress was surprised when he saw the two of us sit at a table, my legs scrunched up in front of me, Stella still crying her eyes out on the table. "Chocolate ice cream with strawberry for me." I told her, and then tapped Stella's hand twice with my finger, as she still had her head buried in her arms._

_She was still too shaky to speak._

"_Cookies and cream with chocolate glaze." I gave up and told the waiter. Stella looked at me in surprise. I haven't bought her ice cream before, but I did have sharp ears._

"_Don't leave…" the words came in between her sobs. She wiped her eyes dry again and again, but the tears still came._

_I extended my hand and lifted her chin with two pale fingers, "I'm right here." I told her, "I'm not going anywhere." It wasn't really a lie, I didn't specify when, and I really wouldn't be going anywhere tonight, until she falls asleep anyway._

_She smiled a little, and the ice cream plates were placed before us. The waitress handed towels to both of us as well, and we dried ourselves as best we can. Picking up the spoon between my fingers, I scooped up the strawberries and chewed. Stella smiled weakly, and began to eat as well._

"_Can't you stay here at the orphanage forever?" she looked up, licking ice cream from her spoon._

"_No one can stay at any given place forever." I replied impassively, "Maybe not now, but I have to go sometime."_

"_What should I do?" she asked, her ten year old mind couldn't comprehend the future and what it will bring. I can scarcely imagine it either. A detective's life can be quite unpredictable._

"_You can do whatever you want within reasons of law; go wherever you want within reasons of law." I sighed, "Not until you grow up though."_

"_Are you ever going to come back?" she picked at her ice cream, tears in her eyes again._

_I shrugged; there was little chance that I would ever stay a prolonged amount of time at the orphanage again. Perhaps I will once every few years, to visit Mello and Near. But if I ever do stay, it won't be forever, and it will be to conduct an investigation. Four years ago I met a young girl who was brought to the orphanage; she was peculiar, and intelligent. She would make a fine detective, perhaps even my successor or my partner, but I haven't seen her sense, and her presence with the other man that day felt very…sinister. "Maybe," I answered Stella._

"_Alex didn't come back." She murmured quietly._

"_I'm not Alex." I replied again._

_Out of arguments, Stella picked and ate at her ice cream while I finished mine. Turning to the waitress, I motioned her over with a wave, and ordered one hot chocolate for Stella and a cup of black coffee for myself. There were two reasons, hot chocolate to make Stella sleep, and coffee to keep myself awake._

"_You can rest for a while Ella." I told her, "You don't want to catch a cold."_

_She listened to me, her cheeks red with warmth from the hot drink. She still sobbed now and then, murmuring certain words I couldn't here._

"_I don't _want _you to leave, Ryuuzaki." She whispered once between her ragged breathes. I stood up, and looked at her one last time._

"_Take her back in the morning." I ordered Roger, who was waiting in another table with Watari._

_The two old men studied me sympathetically, "Are you sure?" Roger asked, "She doesn't want you to leave."_

_I turned my eyes away and headed for the door, "It was never about what she wanted." I replied, and disappeared through the door, not knowing that it would be so long before I saw her again._

_End of flashback_

L leaned against a tree and looked at Stella. He had to tell her, here and now. "Stella, I'm very glad you are still alive. But you're not who you think you are to me, you're not my fiancée."

* * *

Author's Note: Ehhh i'm not quite sure what to say about this chapter. I came up with the flashback as a last minute add, so i hope it was good. I figured you guys had the right to know what they were like before in order to judge how they're acting now i suppose. Although it might not seem like it, L and Stella were pretty close. (he called her Ella.) Still, Stel is a lil self centered, after all, it's not about what she wanted. Also, after twelve years now he calls her Stella again, i mean, come on she was dead to him for 12 years. I'm rambling. Anyway. I liked this chapter. I think it offers a pretty solid resolution to the whole L dead thing, and it also made a fair transition into the next bit on my plot.

I'm sorry if i'm annoying anyone with the length of this fic. I never knew it would be so long or i would've never written it. Seirously, it was supposed to end in chapter EIGHT. I know, you're all probably thinking: WHEN WILL IT END??

here's my answer: not anytime soon.

and so, once again. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN!!


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

"I'm not sure I understand." Stella frowned, "L, you promised."

"I promised you nothing." L replied steely, "It was arranged from the orphanage according to tradition, because they think that love shouldn't be permitted in a high ranking detective's life, they prevent it by deciding my future when I was still young."

"But you agreed to it for all these years." Stella argued, "You could've said no."

"I've also been taught obedience all my life. How could I say no? Besides, it didn't matter to me then, I was young, I understood nothing." L looked her in the eye. He remembered her gray-green eyes as she cried and cried, begging him not to leave. But he had to, it was his duty…everything was always his duty, even though he had never gotten to choose his own path. "Stella, it didn't matter to me then."

"And it matters to you now?" Stella closed her eyes, she looked as if she was going to cry, and she was barely able to hold herself back. Angrily, she bit her lip, "Who is it? Who's the girl you've fallen for?"

L took her hand and guided her to the sofa where she sat, crouching opposite her in his usual way. "Does it really matter?"

"Don't tell me it was…Alice?" Stella whispered, her face buried in her hands.

"Her name is Anna." L corrected "She is the assassin that took me so long to catch. She's helping me with the Kira case now, and I intend to work with her in the future."

Stella looked up at him in disbelief, "Her?" she laughed, "L, she's an assassin, how do you know she's not secretly plotting to kill you behind your back? I've worked with her before, she's ruthless. I mean, sure every move she made was with confidence and precision such that all her cases were closed before the rest of the team and I could begin to figure it out, but it's because she's an assassin! L, she has the mind of a criminal, what's more, you should've learned during your case with her that she has no honor. Out of the people she's killed how many do you want to bet was seduced by her? Just look at her, maybe she has you under her spell too but-"

"That's enough." L murmured quietly, "Please don't speak about her this way."

"But L, do you honest think she would be loyal to you?" Stella said, frustration seeping through her voice, "She's a seductress for heaven's sake!"

"She is not." L replied.

"So what was actually happening when I stepped into that room?" she questioned.

L closed his eyes and sighed, "It's none of your business really."

"So I'm supposed to look at that scene and go, oh, it's absolutely normal for a detective and an assassin to be living together and look like that."

"She's not what she used to be." L murmured, irritated.

"But she is an assassin."

"She is an assassin that saved my life." L said, anger seeping into his tone as he glared unwaveringly into Stella's eyes. "What would you do if I died?"

"I would die with you." Stella replied.

"She wouldn't." L said proudly, "She would never die simply because I did."

"Of course she wouldn't, she's an assassin." Stella narrowed her eyes, "She's a cold blooded killer, and death is something she inflicts on others, not herself."

"Actually, it's because she cares about what I want more than what she wants." L countered, and hugged his knees, "Anna knows I cherish her life, she would never throw it away. Do you see the difference, Stella? You break into my security, walk in without even telling me you were alive for the past twelve years, announce yourself as my fiancée, and expect my unconditional acceptance despite the guests I have here. On the other hand, Anna waited for years, helping me without making herself known and without taking any credit for it. She waited for me to call on her for help, despite her own instinctive nature."

Stella felt her eyes grow hot, "But L, I love you!"

"No, you don't." L said confidently, "Strong admiration is different from love, and even if you did, have you ever considered how I feel?"

"I just don't understand how you, the justice of this world, can choose an assassin, breaking you own promise to me." Stella said, disappointed.

"I promised you nothing." L repeated, and began to walk away.

"No wait!" A mere step away from the door, Stella wrapped her arms around his waist again, resting her head on his hunched back. Tears poured from her eyes as she sobbed, her voice cracking. "These twelve years, I struggled to survive, I struggled to live everyday. I put my heart and soul in everything I did, just so I could become the very best, just so I could be useful to you. I wanted to surprise you and show you what I could do; it was my dream to work by your side. Why do you think I went to all the trouble? I love you L, I always have."

L sighed and closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to deny it, he did accept the orphanage's policies, he did have a responsibility to her. He could see Anna's pained face floating behind his eyelids. If he had told her, she would've managed a fake smile in attempt to hide her tortured heart, and tell him she understood. He could put the weight of the entire world on that girl, and no matter how much he hurt her, she would understand, and bear the pain, alone, if need be.

She trusted him, and he would never betray her trust.

"Stella." He murmured, and felt the girl release her grip. He turned to face her, "I'm sorry, I cannot choose who I love, only whose love to accept."

Her eyes red, Stella pulled herself up next to him, and sympathetically, L wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe…you haven't considered all your choices." Stella whispered, startling him, and as he looked down into her eyes, she tilted her face upwards and pressed her lips against his pale mouth.

_I thought this might happen, but I hoped you had a little more self control than that, Stella. _L thought with disappointment. Resisting Stella's firm hold around his neck, L fixed his hands strongly on her shoulder and pushed her away. His strength was superior to hers, and Stella took a step back, looking down at the ground. L continued to hold her an arms length away from himself.

"You shouldn't throw yourself at people like that." L said impassively, "There are people who would take advantage of you, you're lucky I'm not one of them."

Stella did not speak; her eyes were glued to the floor.

"I am sorry Ella." He said, softening his tone, the old familiar name drawing her gray green eyes to meet his. "I could offer you a position in working with me, if you would like, but I can't return your feelings anymore than I can accept you as my fiancée."

"I would rather die than enduring the sight of you with an assassin. You're better than that L." Stella murmured, staring fiercely at him again.

L remained impassive, "I will arrange for Watari to take care of you then."

"I don't need him! I need you!" Stella exclaimed, "I can't live without you."

"Even knowing that I don't love you?"

"Yes. Anything other than you with that assassin," Stella glared.

"Her name is Anna." L sighed, "Look, I can't give you what you want. The world doesn't revolve around you Stella; stop acting like a five year old."

"But what if she did leave you? What would you do then?" Stella ignored him and pressed on.

"I'd give her what she wants," L replied, then his eyes turned opaque and hard, "But if you had _anything_ to do with it at all…I think I actually might kill you."

"Go back to her then," Stella smiled suddenly, "but if she does leave in the end, I'm always here."

L sighed, "I see."

00000000000000000000000

Anna had one of her arms around the frightened girl's throat and the other around her covering her mouth. The room was dark, for even in broad daylight, the velvet curtains were drawn closed, and all the lights were off.

"If I let you go, would you promise not to scream?" Anna whispered into her ear.

The girl nodded.

Anna released her, "Look, Misa, for the hundredth, millionth time, I'm not here to kill you." She walked over to the windows to open the curtains, but at the last moment decided that they really might be better hidden from unwelcome eyes. Instead, she flicked on the lights. "Light's execution day has been set, L is alive." She told her.

Misa stared wide eyes, "B-but I thought Rem…" she stuttered between sobs, "L can't be alive, his name was written in the notebook!"

"Yeah? Well I had a journey into the Shinigami Realm to bring him back, with the aid of Sorrow and Ryuk." Anna explained quickly, "I fought Rem, and I would've killed her, but instead I left her alive, for you." She gave the gaping blonde a quick smile, "And now, L is busy dealing with his 'personal problems,' I'm going to show you exactly why Yagami Light isn't worth it. I'm quite confident."

"Hey, what's with this 'personal problems' thing?" Misa asked, "Is he cheat-"

"One, not your business, two, not my business, three, I don't know." Anna waved as Rem drifted through the ceiling. "Now, the prison is quite a while away, so get your Death Note and we'll travel by Shinigami, right Rem?"

Misa sat dazed on the floor, "I'm grateful that you don't hate me but I'm still dizzy from crying, what's your hurry?"

Anna stopped her pacing and took a long shuddering breathe, "I don't know how long I compose myself and keep from breaking down after that whole incident, so lets get going, alright?"

Misa's eyes grew wide as she finally noticed that Anna's entire body was shaking, though with what emotion she didn't know. She balled her fists so hard her knuckles turned white, and she avoided her eyes like never before. "Are you okay-"

"Yes!" Anna said loudly, and Misa flinched. The assassin looked to Rem, "Lets go already."

The Shinigami nodded and wrapped both girls in her wings, and took to the skies as another pair sprouted from her back. "Where are your Shinigami?" Misa asked within the confines of Rem's wings.

"I told them not to come, though they're probably following us." Anna said, "I can't have them overhear, Sorrow would kill him."

"You're right about them following us." Rem looked back, "Shall we stop and confront them?"

"Keep flying Rem." Anna replied, "We're almost there."

The Shinigami and two humans landed behind the station in a thud. Anna practically dragged Misa in the front door and with a flash of her badge; they were in. "Yagami Light." Anna looked to the man sitting on his bed through iron bars. "Amane Misa is here to talk to you.

Light looked up with dim eyes, "I'm not Kira Misa, help me."

Anna turned and whispered into Misa's ear.

"Light, do you love Misa?" Misa repeated Anna's words, "Misa loves you, but, she's not sure if you love her back."

Light sat back, "What are you talking about? All I know is that you threw yourself on me and claimed to be my girlfriend, of course I don't love you."

The blonde girl was immediately reduced to tears, "Light…you said you loved Misa!"

"Let him touch the cover of your notebook." Anna whispered to the girl.

Misa took out the Death Note, and upon contact, memories surged through Light's mind, plots, murders, justice, Kira. "Misa, I knew you would bring the notebook to me." He smiled charmingly, "But Anna's presence is quite a surprise, I was under the impression that you were on L's side."

"Guess again." Anna forced a smile in return.

"Light…do you love Misa?"

"Of course I do, Misa, now get me out of here, be at my side when we create this new world, we can do it together! Just get me out, Misa, kill the guards, and get the key." Light smiled, "We can still create a perfect world, and I'll love you forever, Misa, Kill them already!!"

The blonde girl cried harder, large tears falling from her eyes. "Lies…lies and lies and LIES!!" she barely managed to grab on to the notebook as she fell to her knees, "Light doesn't love Misa, Kira just pretends to so he can use her!"

Cold realization sparkled in Light's eyes. In an instant, the genius whipped the Death Note from the shivering girl's hands, "So you've finally figured it out." The genius's sincere face twisted into an ugly sneer. "It doesn't matter, you're no threat to me." He turned his eyes onto Anna, "But you, Sheila Faust, you are." He laughed as he watched Anna's eyes widen in fear, "Mikami Teru told me your true name as soon as he found out that you were in league with L. If I weren't under 24 hour surveillance, and if I didn't plan to use you to kill L, you wouldn't be alive. As it is my plans went awry and I was captured before I could tell Misa your name. That's not a problem now is it? I'll still take you down with me, on the day of my execution you will die too."

_I'm not protected from the Death Note's powers anymore, or from any power of death. _Anna realized with a sigh and a dim laugh, ironic, on the day I return from the realm of the dead I find out when my next visit is reserved.

"No, she will not." Sorrow swooped through the roof, "I'll kill you here and now."

"No, you won't." Another voice, accompanied by a thick dark portal echoed, and a woman stepped through it with a smile.

Anna's heart sank again as the Greater Dead stepped towards them, and in a flash her tiny hand constricted around Sorrow's throat, while her other hand shot through the bars and flung Misa across the hall, Rem dived after, and barely caught her. The girl landed in a broken heap in the Shinigami's arms, alive, but unconscious. Anna's eyes followed where Misa lay, then turned back to see in horror that a tiny blue fire was burning from where she touched Sorrow's skin. "Sorrow!" the assassin screamed, her hand automatically going to the metal hexagon, to find that it wasn't there.

"Archangels don't come to the human world, they're not allowed to interfere." The tiny perfect face stuck her tongue out smugly at Anna, "Too bad." Lust said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Meanwhile, Sorrow was turning to dust.

"You're killing a Shinigami." Anna whispered, "He's one of your own kind!"

"So?"

"Stop it! Let him go!" Anna screamed, Sorrow was dying, dying to protect her. The Shingami's haunting eyes rolled over to her one last time. Mouthing words she heard perfectly in her heart.

_Good bye Daughter, I tried my best._

"Safe journey Dad," Anna whispered in return as the last of him fell away to dust, "May the angels guide you."

"He tried to interfere with fate and extend your life; I decided to kill him before he could do so." Lust grinned, "Technically, he could've extended your lifespan by giving you his, but the Shinigami King wants you by his side as soon as possible, so I decided to-"

Anna grasped the iron bars and peered inside the prison at the greater dead, "What do you mean he tried to interfere with fate?"

Lust's grin grew wider, revealing her sharp teeth, "I mean," she grabbed the notebook from Light's hands and showed her name written in Light's blood. "This is when your lifespan runs out; this is when you were destined to die."

The words on the note were blatantly clear.

_L:_

_This is Kira; Sheila Faust will die with me by heart attack. You have set my time of death, unfortunately for you, this means that your have also set hers. She will die when Yagami Light's heart is pierced by the bullets on November 1__st__ of 2008, first light. If I die earlier, so will she, so don't even think about trying to save her. As the rays of the sun chases away the dead spirits of Halloween, may they take her also._

_Kira_

"How very dramatic of you," Anna sighed, wiping her eyes, "A last letter to L, instead of just writing my name."

"I couldn't help myself." Light replied, the last bit of sanity leaving his eyes. "Please, do show it to him."

"At least it's when I'm destined to die." Anna laughed as she fell to her knees, her head leaning against the brick wall opposite the cell.

"You were supposed to die this time eighteen years ago." Lust laughed and began to return to her portal, "Shortly after Raymond was killed you should've froze to death in the streets of Britain, on November 31st first light, of 1990, after Halloween. But then, Raymond had to go and delay that…but no one can avoid death, Sheila Faust, not forever." At those last words, the Shinigami completely disappeared into the portal, leaving her alone once more with Light, Misa and Rem.

Light ripped out the page with her name on it and gave it to her, "I'd like to keep my memories and die as God of this world." He chuckled wildly, the red veins signaling his insanity, "But as a favor to you, I'll stop my judgment for now, haha..HAHAHA!"

Anna took the piece of paper and nodded, "Okay." She stood up and took Misa from Rem's arms. "Don't worry Rem." She said to the Shinigami, the Note will be destroyed soon, so you won't have to stay with him for long. Until then, I will take care of her."

The blonde girl opened her eyes dimly as they sneaked out of the jail, the rays of the bright sun piercing her vision. "Are you okay?" she whispered, "Light didn't…"

"No." Anna lied with a gentle smile. "I will keep your notebook for a while though, alright?"

Misa nodded.

"Hey Misa?"

"Yeah?"

"What day is it today?" Anna asked quietly, her eyes staring straight ahead.

"October 17th." Misa replied.

"I see, thanks." Anna nodded. One hand still supporting Misa, she stuffed the piece of Death Note into her pocket.

_14 days._

Author's Note: Okay, please don't hurt me...poor author has enough tears writing about her own OC's death okay? (actually i'm grinning from ear to ear and having tons of fun but whatever...) So yeah. Poor Anna has fourteen days with L and Stella's in the picture bothering her. (good thing cause i'm not writing fourteen days of fluff. Lol) AND, she's L's fiancee, i guess. I don't know if u guys noticed, but it's RIGHT after Halloween. L's birthday. tear EEE!! i'm so glad i made it winter a couple chaps ago so i can work the dates out. It's not snowing in Japan yet because its a warmer country, but it probably should soon. My plan is working out perfectly. I'm sorry i haven't updated for a while tho, i was SWAMPED in projects. But never fear! I will Never give up! NEVER!!

Also during this lil non fanfic writing days of mine L and Anna talked to me a bit more, and i have this REALLY cool scene in my head. It's a combination of a scene that popped in my head from X-Men and the Asian Drama i'm watching It Started With a Kiss. Completely different, but it'll work out, you'll see :P. BE EXCITEd WITH ME!! YAYS!!

Ok, now wish me luck on my projects so i can update faster!

Oh, btw, PLEASE let me know how i did in this chapter. It's VITAL for such an intense chapter don't u think? mmhmm? So you know what that means! REVIEW!!

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	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Disclaimer: do not own Death Note

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Day 1 (haha, day 1)

L still had not returned when Anna stepped into the Investigation Headquarters, looking around cautiously to avoid any surprises, Anna jumped up the stairs and into her room. Where should she put the piece of Death Note Light have given her? There was no way she would show it to L, not unless the situation pushed her to, he doesn't enter her room without her accompaniment, so it should be safe. Then again, she didn't know. Eventually, Anna decided to fold it and hide it under her lamp, which no one really would move, for any good reason anyway.

After she was pleased with the Death Note's hidden location, Anna walked to the window and examined the bright sunset. It was afternoon when she had taken Misa to see Light, and after comforting her some, she had walked home slowly, taking her time.

_I wander if L is still with Stella…_

The thought echoed through her mind over and over, each time jabbing at her heart like a teasing knife. But it wasn't the question that bothered her, it was the answer. _There was none._ Why wasn't there an answer to her question? Whose voice is missing right now? Who-oh, his, of course, the one voice that droned on and on about how he worried for her.

Sorrow's voice was missing. Her father's voice, she was left without a family again, and should L leave her, she would be utterly alone, again.

"It gets worse once you know what the better feels like." Anna muttered to herself as waves of regret and loneliness crashed over her. "But what can a girl do?"

She almost missed the days when she was proud of herself, her skills, her agility and her power. People shuddered at the mere mention of her name, Black Cat, Alexander had called her, and indeed, she was bad luck for all of her opponents. Well, except him. She was afraid of nothing then, and she was famous everywhere. So many names, so many faces, so many memories…

Anna shuddered and clenched her hands into fists.

_So much blood._

Never again, even if she had she choice, never again will she return to that life. Though she missed the thrill of the danger, she would not kill to get it. Perhaps she would one day return to the dark world, but she wouldn't be back there to kill, he's changed her, and she's not changing back.

Still, this golden sunset, the first of the fourteen she will see, is…depressing. Sorrow's death replayed in her mind again and again…it would be a very long night. Anna swiftly pulled back her hair and undressed, getting into her black nightdress. She had just closed the curtains when a soft knock came at her door.

"Come in." Anna murmured out of habit before she realized her mistake, she really didn't want to talk to anyone tonight.

"Anna."

"Yes, L?" she sighed, _just when I wanted to sulk by myself. _"Are you sure you're supposed to be in here?"

"Stella went back to the hotel she rented." L replied, "I was hoping to talk to you and explain the situation."

_As much as I would like to explain to you the situation I'm in right now too, I don't think I can undertake much more emotional stress, _Anna thought. "Perhaps another day L, I'm tired."

He frowned, "Please, would you listen?"

Anna sat on her bed, "I would really prefer not to, not right now."

L's expert eyes didn't miss anything, "Where's Sorrow?"

"He's dead." Anna replied, burying her face in her hands, "He was punished for interfering with fate."

"My fate?" L asked, but Anna stayed silent.

His cold pale fingers held her around her shoulder and she leaned into his chest, biting her fist in agony. Her heart wanted to burst from being kept silent in Misa's presence, but she wouldn't do it here. A few hours ago she would've cried to him with no problem, but he wasn't the same now. He wasn't her L anymore; he was a friend and a superior who probably belonged to his fiancée. And as much as she depended on his firm chest next to her, listening to the steadying rhythm of his heart, she had to make him leave. It would only tear at her harder later.

"Anna, I-"

"L," Anna interrupted, standing up, "You should probably go."

The detective stood up with her, noticing that her eyes were glued to the ground, her head bent and hiding them from sight.

"Are you really okay?" L asked, it was a dumb question, but he still had to know.

"My father's dead, of course I'm not okay," Anna replied, "But I'd like to be alone."

"And I'd like to stay here until I'm convinced that you're okay." L insisted.

"Your staying here wouldn't bring Sorrow back." Anna muttered harshly then with the same hard tone she continued, "I just need to be by myself right now."

"I just want to tell you-"

"What?! L?" Anna exclaimed, staring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"-that since Kira is caught, the police wanted to…pretty much have a few drinks, tie up the end before they announce it to the public. It's at Aizawa's house tomorrow afternoon. I was hoping you would be there."

"Yeah okay." Anna nodded, her eyes once more glued to the ground.

"Okay." L replied, and closed the door behind him with a sigh. Once outside, he crunched his knees up to his chest and leaned against the wall beside her door, his eyes screwed shut in frustration as he rubbed his temples. _What am I doing? What's happening?_ Thoughts flowed in and out of his mind, but people's emotions and feelings were something he had never brought into previous cases, he had used people's feelings against them, but never did he try to sort them out. Not only was he an amateur in untangling the emotional threads, he was making so many mistakes people around him were suffering. Anna had rescued him from an eternity in Hell, and now she was suffering from the pain he caused her.

No sound penetrated through the wall, L heard only silence.

Day 2

Anna was woken by the first rays of light the glowed dully through the curtains. She dressed quickly, and pulled the curtains wide, the brightness of the sun making her squint. _What should I do today? _She wandered, the shock of her upcoming death has worn off, but the urge of doing something important in the time she has left pressured her. Anna opened her door soundlessly, it was still very early, the sun was bright, but still on the edge of the horizon, no one else should be up yet and if they were up, they probably hoped to catch her and talk to her.

"Hello, Stella." Anna turned around, "I hear you, stop hiding."

Stella stepped out from behind the wall into the hallway, "Up early?"

"Hm." She replied, "Something you wanted to say?"

"Not here, want to go walk or something?"

"Yeah sure, lead the way."

They stalked through the city streets quickly, and Anna was surprised by how well Stella knew the geography of the place. Although she too, memorized each alley they turned to, they had crawled through so many small paths that even she wasn't able to pinpoint their exact location in the city.

They had hiked for about two and a half hours before Stella finally came to a stop, breaking the silence. "We're on the outskirts of the city; it's a quite poor area." She murmured, "We're almost there."

"Not that I'm complaining, but, why?"

Stella laughed lightly, "Used to the luxury already?"

"I like the use of technology, but I don't depend on it." Anna hissed in reply.

"Good, the fewer machines do for you, the tougher it is right?" Stella led her through a door and down several flights of stairs, the temperature plunged, and Anna shivered slightly.

Anna rolled her eyes at the sight, "A seriously out of date gym?"

"Shouldn't be a problem for you, the way you're always showing off while we worked together." Stella leaned against a dusty wall, "This is how I prefer to train."

Anna walked up to a suspended sand bag, the fabric was rough and bristly, and would easily injure the hand from too much practice, unlike the smooth fabric that surrounded the weights in modern gyms. However, as rough as it was, it's also quite worn and fragile. Twisting her body, she sent her fist into the bag, ripping through the fabric. "One, I did not see the need to have more people threatened while I could solve the cases I was given, two, we never worked "together" but were merely on the same team, three, knowing my past now you wouldn't have wanted to work with me anyway. So what's your point?"

"I think you know the point." Stella walked over to a counter and grabbed a roll of duct tape. Sand poured out from the injured sandbag as Anna took out her hand, and Stella patched it up quickly.

"Please, you still want to beat me?" Anna shook her head, "You're stubborn."

"If you go easy on me I'll-"

"Kill you?" Anna laughed, "I won't go easy, I promise."

"Good, cause I've been practicing while you've been slacking." Stella smiled.

Anna closed her eyes and caught her fist flashing to her side, "Yeah, but hard work's no match for a natural genius."

"Arrogant." Stella's smile widened as she tried to jerk her hand away, to no avail.

"With reason." Anna held her wrist firmly then let go and took a step back. "Try again?"

Stella was keen not to fall for such a trick again; Anna realized happily, she has improved in the time of her absence. But still, Anna's eyes tracked every movement with ease, and not once did she step away from the original spot. Finally, almost bored, Anna grabbed her elbow, took out her ankle with a swipe of her foot, and pinned her throat against the floor. "I win." She said dully. "And if you had bothered to notice, you couldn't even get me to take one step."

"You didn't hold back." Stella smiled in return, "I wonder why, you always did before, are you jealous?"

Anna's expression remained blank, "what makes you think that?"

"Don't play dumb, you like him, and I'm his fiancée." Stella pushed against Anna's arm, but the assassin kept her pinned tightly against the floor. "I really don't know how he puts up with you, especially knowing you're an assassin and all. How can he even rest easy knowing that someone who would rip out people's throats with not a piece of remorse is right beside him?"

"True that; he is special."

"It's a mystery why he never put you behind bars."

Anna rolled her eyes, "If you're going to pull a pistol and point it at me do it already, you're so obvious you know that? You called me out here because you wanted to kill me? Don't waste your time. I've got it here, or haven't you noticed?" Anna pulled a pistol out of her pocket, "I stole it from you while we were talking, I'm an assassin remember?"

"You don't deserve him!"

"And I suppose you think you do." Anna pointed the gun to her forehead, Stella turned pale. "Scared? Well, I suppose I am an assassin." She released her and dropped the gun in her lap, "Don't worry, I won't kill you, it doesn't prove a thing."

Stella pointed the gun to her back, "You do realize you just gave me a weapon right?"

"Even if you do pull the trigger, do you think you'll hit me?" Anna sighed, "I don't want to be mean to you, but I've got twelve and a half days to live and you- I don't suppose you could stop taunting me? If you honestly think I would even consider trying to harm you so you can tell L about it then no, I won't, and if I did, you wouldn't be alive to tell the tale okay?"

_Bang._

Anna stepped sideways before the sound reached her, and looked back at Stella. "Now I've got evidence you tried to shoot me on your hands and clothes."

"Like I care, you're a criminal and better off dead."

Anna glanced at her watch, released her grip, and stood up. "As for my plan, there's no way I'm going to tell you that. However, if he had to choose, I think L likes me better."

"But I'm his fiancée, and L wouldn't break a promise."

"I'm quite aware of that, to let you in on a secret, I don't need you to kill me, I'll die on my own soon enough, so don't waste your energy." Anna pulled the piece of Death Note from her pocket, "This is a piece of Death Note-"

"I know what a Death Note is." Stella snapped, then seeing Anna's confused expression, explained, "You're not the only one who can hack." She murmured, and then studied the writing. "It does seem you will die, so what do you plan to do for the next thirteen days?"

"It's really none of your business, I have to go." Anna walked briskly to the door and up the stairs.

"Where?" Stella shouted after her.

Anna grinned slightly and set off at a fast pace back, "A gathering you're not invited to." She murmured under her breath.

Although she had gotten up roughly around five, the hike had taken them almost three hours, and she had spent more time down in the basement than she realized. It was now almost nine thirty, and even if she hurried, she would be back just in time for twelve, add to that trying to remember the way, avoiding L, getting lunch somewhere and looking decently formal for the party, she hardly had time. Taking in a deep breath, Anna ran.

00000000

L was making a report of exactly how they came to catch Kira, which was the easy part. His fingers flied over the keyboards and it was done in just a few minutes. Then there was the hard part, although he resented lying, the public just can't know about the truth of what happened. But exactly how he would modify it he wasn't sure, and didn't want to decide on his own without Anna's approval. Currently the timeline looked like this:

_Figured out Kira was in Kanto by fake TV program._

_Figured out Kira was a student by time table._

_Figured out Kira had access to police info._

_Sent in twelve FBI agents, all of whom were killed by Kira._

_Naomi Misora died._

_Figured out there was a second Kira due to different behavioral patterns._

_Figured out the first and second Kira had contact._

_Went clueless and hired genius assassin._

_Genius assassin somewhat confirms that Misa is the second Kira._

_Genius assassin was sent to get close to Light. (must modify)_

_Genius assassin failed to confirm that Light was Kira._

_Genius assassin was sent to Britain to stop the kidnapping of Takada Kiyomi._

_Takada gets taken hostage and genius assassin goes MIA._

_**This is where it gets insane…**_

_Genius assassin shows up and points a gun at detective, Mikami Teru grabs a notebook but is killed by a Death God, house blows up and detective learns about the Death Note._

_Matches finger prints on book to Yagami Light, score, Light's Kira._

_Must confirm Misa's second Kira, goes to Japan._

_Detective dies by Misa's Shinigami's hand. (that has to go)_

_Genius assassin brings Detective back from the dead._

_End of case._

L sighed, take out Anna's going MIA and him dying, they've got no proof that determines Light and Misa are Kira except the notebooks, they have one of the notebooks, but the other…Amane Misa has it. L sighed again, he wasn't sure if he was welcome to Amane Misa's house, and Anna was no where to be found.

Standing up and turning around, L printed the sheet and stuffed in his pocket. Anna had to come to Aizawa's house; he'd talk to her about it then. Then again, Anna seemed to be avoiding him, and when an assassin wants to avoid you, it happens and there's nothing you can do about it. The detective heaved one last sigh and set his jaw. It's only been never since a girl has got him this frustrated.

Anna did manage to avoid him for the rest of the afternoon. In fact, L had only gotten one good look at her when she arrived in her assassin trade mark black jacket and pants, an impassive unreadable look in her eyes. Had she pulled up her hair in a ponytail, she would look deadly enough to give everyone a heart attack. However, sensibly, Anna's brown hair fell in a curtain around her face and around her shoulders, softening her sharp dangerous look. He had motioned for her to come with a look, but Anna looked away at the last possible moment, he hasn't seen her since.

"Hey." She poked him in the ribs.

_Speak of the devil._ L thought and turned around, "Let's get out of this crowd."

"We need to modify the events of this case to make it acceptable to the public." L said, handing her the list.

Anna glanced at it, "Change it however it suits you."

"Any ideas?" L asked, "Or preferences?"

"Yeah, I'd like the public to think I don't exist at all." Anna replied, "I have a reputation in the underworld and some crims will get worried knowing I worked with you."

L raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry, confidential information." Anna held up her hands with a smile.

"Alright, then."

"If you have to, call me Wedy, the thief. But to be honest, I don't like hanging out around the police. Old habits die hard, and the dirty looks people throw me aren't like the welcome I'm used to in the underworld." Anna sighed, "It really is hard changing your way of life."

L was confused; Anna didn't possibly want to return to the life of a criminal, did she? "Anna what are you saying? Do you think-" he didn't get to finish when Aizawa interrupted him and asked him to present the information.

"It's a pleasure to meet the one that unveiled the secrets of the Death Note." Aizawa extended his hand for Anna to shake, and she did so.

"I'm glad I could help, and now the case is finally over." Anna replied with a smile, "I should go. Goodbye." Anna forced a masked smile to Aizawa and L, and then walked briskly out into the night.

"Bye." L whispered to her shadow. _I guess it really isn't the time. I'll just have to talk to her about Stella when we get back._

But Anna didn't go back to the party, or the headquarters. Briefly checking her watch, she called up a taxi. "Airport." She whispered faintly, resting her face in her hand as she looked out the window. _Forget; forget it all…let him live his happily ever with his fiancée after now that his most challenging case is solved. There's no more business for you to attend to, the last thing you can do for him is…forget and disappear. Funny, how the mutual feelings of two people can be broken by a single mistaken promise. Nevertheless…_

Anna knew exactly how she was going to forget. She emptied her mind, not caring about the chaos she would leave behind, she can disappear like a ghost, and things would eventually untangle, it would be for the best, maybe. She dozed through the entire flight, checked in and out of the airport like a zombie, maintaining an absolutely clear state of mind learnt from meditation in fighting art classes so long ago.

The time difference was seven hours, so Anna had a good deal of time before nightfall, she left her watch unchanged though, she would need to know when her death comes for her. The death note wouldn't be tricked so simply. Besides, time will soon become indistinguishable where she was going. She took her time going to her apartment in London, wound through the busy streets to her destination.

"I want to see James." Anna said to the jailer.

Glancing at her badge, he flinched, then nodded and handed her the keys. Anna went in by herself, unlocked the door and smiled at James. "Long time no see."

"What are you doing here?" James questioned, standing up.

"I need your help, so I'm bailing you out." Anna smiled and dragged him through the door, and out of the prison.

_It so helps when you've got good influence from higher-ups, _Anna thought inwardly.

"Whoa girl, hold up what do you want?" He squinted against the glare of the sun.

"Yeah, you're right, street rats like us aren't good in broad sunlight let's go." Anna grabbed his wrists and dragged him around again, until they finally found privacy in a dark alley. "So...I need your help."

"Doing what?" James exclaimed. "You suddenly show up, drag me out of jail with nothing but a badge and despite the fact that I've tried to kill you-you need my help!"

"Yeah well you're the only criminal I've been in contact with lately." Anna mumbled.

"So what do you need help with?" James threw out his arms.

"Forgetting…everything." Anna glared at the ground, speaking between clenched teeth as she admitted.

* * *

Author's note: What you think's gonna happen is probably not going to happen...however you wish to interpret that :D

Don't have much to say. Personally, i don't like it very much, writing it made me depressed...sigh, but i guess that's the point right?


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do Not Own Death Note

* * *

"Okay, I can do tha-" James started, but Anna raised her hand and pinned his head to the opposite wall.

"Not like that you idiot, I've been working in the U.S too long, so I'm unfamiliar with the underworld activities here.

"What do you mean?"

"I've found that there's only one way I could truly clear my mind. It's when I'm fighting for my life, so your job, James, is taking me where I can fight, person after person, battle after battle…" Anna looked down at the ground, "Not forever of course, only thirteen days." She looked him in the eye again, "After you have taken me there, go gather all those people who wanted revenge against me, you should be famous among them. Tell them where I am, I'll fight them one on one, every single one of them, I will fight to atone."

James laughed, "I'm no errand boy, what's in it for me?"

"Well, you're free, and whatever profit I make from fighting goes to you, plus all the money those people will be paying you to find me." Anna's expression darkened, "Also, if you don't I'll drag you right back to jail."

"Yeah but, first I want to go home, pick up a few things. We can stay there over night and begin tomorrow." James said, "I've got to be prepared right?"

"I want to fight now James, can't this wait till later?" Anna sighed.

"Okay, fine princess, I'll leave you there and come back for my stuff, you can take care of yourself right?"

"Of course." Anna replied.

The hike was longer than the one Stella had taken her on. They stalked down the dark tunnel, deeper and deeper, there was no sunlight here, and the only brightness offered was from the flickering lights on the side of the walls. Anna exhaled, her breath hanging like a little white cloud in front of her. But soon she heard what James sought, roaring of people, cheering crazily on the fighters. Anna turned to James in disgust.

"Cage fighting? You want me to cage fight?"

"Yeah, brutal isn't it?" James smiled as the man in the cage received the final blow to the neck.

"Will anyone challenge the winner?" The voice boomed, and the crowd fell silent.

Anna rolled her eyes at James and took a deep breath. "I will!"

"Young lady, this isn't a joke." The man at the bar whispered.

"Nor should it be." Anna replied, and made her way through the crowd. Two steps, and she flipped over the fence into the cage, facing the great muscular man.

"Very well, choose the category."

"First time, please explain." Anna said as she jogged a few times on the spot, shaking out her hands and warming up.

"Fists, knives, guns, take your pick." The man explained, both opponents must choose use the same weapons.

Anna nodded, "Let him pick."

"Fists." The man growled, "I won't go easy, such a pretty girl shouldn't have a scar on her face, why don't you drop out."

"Taunting? Just drop the tough act and come at me." Anna felt the surge of the adrenaline power through her body.

He was fast for his size, but not quite fast enough. However, Anna raised her hands to protect herself, but let the man slam his fist into her hands, knocking her backwards into the fence. He grinned, Anna tightened her teeth and prepared again. Not quite good enough.

Almost ten minutes later, Anna decided that it was enough. She had taken enough blows, bruises were quickly forming on her body, and she could sense that several of her organs were bruised and bleeding. It wasn't that vital though, and they would heal in time. But now on the verge of death, she can fight back. Anna dodged the coming blow casually and elbowed the man's throat in a swift finish. She could've grabbed the man's arm and broken it in several places, she could've hurt it so bad he never did anything with it ever again, but she wasn't aiming to kill, only to protect herself. The man stepped back, surprised, he came at her again though, having not learnt his lesson, and received another blow to the windpipe. He clutched his throat and fell to the ground.

"You can't take two blows to the windpipe; you'll be temporarily immobilized ,so don't try anything." Anna stepped back agilely as he made another lung for her, "if you try to take a deep breath, you'll go unconscious." She sighed, the man stumbled forward a few more steps, and crashed to the ground.

"Exactly." Anna said wit ha smile and glanced her watch. "Twelve more days." She whispered to herself, "Right on schedule."

Day 7

Anna fought on endlessly; battle after battle, for no one was able to defeat her, for defeat meant death. In her case, she allowed her opponents to leave the cage alive, however, she doubt she'd get the same benefit, should she be defeated. However, as the hours went on, her strength began to decline. She had refused the reward for any battle she had won, insisting instead that they be given to James, who constantly brought her new opponents, though the last time he came, a look of worry crossed his face.

"What is it James?" Anna wiped the sweat off of her forehead, leaning against the cage after her latest battle.

"L is looking for you, everywhere, it's quiet to the public, but I nearly got caught." James studied her face, "Don't you want anything to eat?"

"Water." She extended her hand and took the water bottle from James, "Nothing else. As for L, you be more careful, don't expose our location."

"What's wrong with you?" James suddenly exclaimed, "What happened?"

Anna grinned, "It's so unlike you to be curious about my situation. It doesn't matter, I just want to keep busy for another week."

James glanced over the knife cuts and bruises on her arm. Anna hasn't allowed any bullet to hit her, even in the close range of the cage, but somehow, during every battle Anna had allowed herself to be wounded, although he knew she could've countered the attack with ease. "It's hard for me to watch you suffer and pretend to be unconcerned."

"If it helps, think of this as…a game." Anna shrugged, "I could care less. You may not have felt it, James, but the people before that you have wronged and tortured feels…like this, I suppose. The physical pain," she pointed to the cuts on her arm, "Is nothing, _nothing_ compared to how it hurts here." She put a finger on his heart, "If fighting, and getting injured can overwhelm that, even temporarily, I could go on forever."

"What did that bastard to do you Anna? I swear I'll kill him!"

"Aww James, so you do have a heart. I know we've become friends, and you're doing me a big favor, but it is no fault of his." Anna stood and turned to face her next opponent, "More like…I misunderstood my position."

_More…more…keep coming. Concentrate, dodge, deflect, attack. Keep your eyes open, follow the fist, decide what to do next…good, don't let your guard down, keep track of your opponent._

"_Anna."_

"_Please, can I talk to you?" his face floated behind her eyelids. Ernest, and a hint of worry and weariness etched into his features._

"NO! GO AWAY!" Anna's knife slashed into her opponent's arm, severing it at the elbow.

The girl in front of her stumbled and fell with a loud cry. Tears flowed from her eyes. Anna stepped forward and with a surprise realized that she was so young, only in her teens, maybe seventeen or eighteen.

"Why do you fight? What's your name?" she questioned, kneeling over her fallen opponent.

"I fight because I can. I was trained to, it's the only thing I can do!" The girl cried, clutching the bloody stump where her arm was once attached, "I fight because I'm a freak, okay? It's the only thing I'm good for, the thing I'm created to do!"

"Your name."

"Esme."

"Esme." Anna whispered, and stepped back; her sponsor rushed over, and Anna recognized him. "You…" she murmured, as memories flashed back at her.

_Flashback_

"_Hold still." The gruff voice said, his hand was big enough to completely enclose my arm, it seemed he could snap it at a moment's notice. "Don't you dare make a sound."_

"_I won't cry, if that's what you mean." I twisted my arm as I hissed through my teeth. He jerked my arm, and the pain shot up my muscles, he was nearly dislocating my shoulder. I stopped resisting and sat still._

_He proceeded to stick the needle in my arm, the green liquid being injected into me wasn't all that pleasant. "What chemical is it this time?" I asked._

"_None of your concern." He replied, "Now shut up."_

_I would've make a smart reply, but I knew that it would only earn me more pain overall. Silently, I stuck my fist in my mouth and waited for the chemical to take effect. It would hurt, it always did, it always will. Slowly, my muscles started to ache and burn, all my nerves felt like they were jumping on end, sending countless messages throughout my body, I had to work to keep my muscles in place. He watched as I bit down on my fist, glaring at the floor._

"_Okay, hit the sandbag." He ordered._

_I stood up, shaking, and did as I was told. My fist tore through the fabric, hitting raw sand that chipped away at my flesh._

"_That's not nearly good enough." He sighed._

"_If you would stop dosing me with drugs, I would've sent that thing through the wall!" I argued, disappointment was something I couldn't handle. "I have strength! It's not a fair evaluation to-"_

_I saw his fist coming, my instincts told me to dodge, but I silenced them. I wasn't allowed to dodge, so I was told. He hit me in the face and sent me flying backwards to the wall. "Sorry." I murmured._

"_Hit it again." He said._

_I stopped trying to control my nerves, jumped up, and laid a roundhouse on the second sandbag. It snapped off of the string and slammed into the far wall, I landed in a perfect fighting stance._

_I was proud of myself, but I kept my head lowered professionally and waited for his analogy._

"_Still not good enough." He said._

"_Yes sir." I replied._

_I wasn't surprised; it was all I ever heard, after all. Not good enough, Anna, not fast enough, you need to prove yourself, you'll never survive this way. Weakling, defeat your opponent, it's all you're good for, you're a freak, and if you don't go further you'll never be good enough, you-_

_End of flashback._

"Step outside." Anna murmured, with authority that no one dared defy. In a dark alley, while Esme proceeded to wrap her arm while leaning against the wall, Anna transferred her attention to the man. "You scumbags, what are you doing to her?" Anna questioned, "Are you feeding her those lies again? The same ones you fed me?"

The man seemed to recognize me.

"Anna McLeod, project Oblivion, group D, division Theta, number 42, and a Special Division Lancelot, partner Mordred. Top of your class, young lady, what are you doing here? I thought I recognized your fight patterns." He smiled, "Want to rejoin us?"

"You can cut the crap Jack, and let Esme go."

"But you're one of the top twenty five, Anna, when you were captured we were scattered, but the other twenty four are back, and Esme has taken over Zack's position as Mordred." Jack smiled, "She's our new top fighter, but it seems that our Lancelot is still standing on top."

"I am not _your_ Lancelot." Anna spat, though concern clouded her features, "What happened to Zack?"

"Mordred have been replaced." Jack shrugged.

"Replaced means he failed, which in turn…means he was killed, either at the hands of the enemy or your hands." Anna murmured, "Which is it?"

"Zack was killed in one of his missions." Jack answered, "Of course, this information would only be given of one of the Knights asked."

"Knights?" Anna scoffed, "I thought you were just conducting experiments, but you're doing more than that aren't you? You're building up a guild of assassins against the detectives."

Jack nodded.

In a flash, Anna had sprung over the cage and was whipping her knife at Jack's throat. But metal met metal in a sharp crash. Esme had taken the blow, blocking the attack with her own knife, protecting Jack. Anna shook her head, "You're all brainwashed." She sighed, "Very well, take Esme to the hospital."

"I'll be hoping to see you soon."

Anna glanced again at Esme's broken stump of an arm, "Over my dead body."

"_Anna, please, can I talk to you?"_

_No…go away…look what you made me do. Go away…_

"Anna, can I talk to you?"

"No!" Anna whipped around, and took a deep shuddering breath when she saw James. "Yeah what?"

"I've got you some new clothes, yours are pretty bloody." James tossed her an outfit, "Don't know if it fits but you should still change."

Anna took the clothes with a nod of thanks and walked inside and into a change room. She peeled off her bloodstained clothes and wiped what she could off her skin, then pulled on the new clothes.

James waited outside for her, "You can leave you know, go find L and work stuff out."

Anna laughed, "Careful James, you're starting to sound like you care about me."

"No but I'm afraid of what he might do to _me._ Besides, the way you fight is awfully disturbing, even for me." James shrugged, "Whatever you want I suppose princess."

"Oh yeah? How do I fight then?"

"You fight to get killed that's how you fight." James replied.

"Whatever James." Anna replied.

"Really? What would L think?" James questioned, "Are you that weak without him?!"

"I don't need him!" Anna retorted, "I'm fine on my own!"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Look, L has a fiancée who is willing to kill me to keep him, and I die in seven days, Light wrote my name in the Death Note to die on the same day he does. I'm disappearing for his benefit. I can't face L, what would you do?"

"Okay, yeah, you're pretty screwed." James nodded.

"James! I thought you were going to help!" Anna exclaimed, and hopped back into the cage, "Stupid criminals, all of them."

"Well…" James whispered to himself, "Maybe I'll help."

Day 10

James felt continually guilty and responsible. He hadn't really cared what happened to her before, but seeing someone fight so desperately to _die_ was something else. He glanced again at Anna, who had been refusing everything except water, again. _Crap, I cant' be actually getting feelings for this girl, I just can't. _Nonetheless, he felt more responsible for her pain than ever.

_Hey, she asked for it, she didn't' have to do it if she didn't want to. Heck, what is wrong with me? I tried to kill her and now I care if she's trying to kill herself? This is screwed up. Why am I such a loser over these girls?_

But still, it's not right. Where's that detective when you need him?

With a sigh, James got up and left the building. _I have to find that guy; this isn't right at all…_

Day 11

"Okay, he is way too adept at covering his tracks." James muttered, and fell face first onto the cement.

Day 12

James woke up in a cell.

"Hello." L said, "It's October 29th, just about 9 at night, you've slept for a day."

"Crap." James replied.

L nodded, "You passed out, I would've considered giving you a room but found that this environment might suit you better."

"Wow, you're annoyed, that's almost an emotion!" James said sarcastically.

L quickly composed himself again, "So why did you pass out a block away from my house?"

"Get me out of this cell and maybe I'll tell you." James smiled.

"Tell me and maybe I won't hand you over to Mello." L replied passively.

"I can wait." James shrugged, "She can't though, who knows what she's doing now. Crap, I passed out for an entire day! Poor girl…"

L narrowed his eyes and pulled the cell door open. "Talk."

"Hmm, that's not nice, I would like tea and cookies, or as we say here in Britain, biscuits." James grinned smugly.

L pulled out a pistol and held it to his head, "Take me to her."

"Yeah I figured." James said, "But she doesn't want to see you."

_Click. _L's patience was wearing thin, "Does it really look like I care?"

000000000000

Anna sipped the last bit of water from the water bottle that James brought her two days ago. _Where could he be? If James ran away to tell L where I am…I'm going to rip out his guts. No! Enough…don't think, concentrate._

Day 13

_Step, step, block strike, step step, strike, kick._

Anna barely thought anything anymore. She felt the steady burn of her muscles under constant alert, and she began to enjoy her fights. When you fight, you don't think, you don't need to think, you let your instincts take control. In a world where you're fighting for your life, there was not time for reasonable thoughts, depressing thoughts, or romantic thoughts.

_No._

_Bad._

_Concentrate._

BANG!

The category was guns this time. Her opponent is trying to pin her down under a rain of bullets by emptying all of them in the start. Anna smiled. Twenty six guns firing at the same time she couldn't dodge, but _two. _Without even waiting for all the bullets to come, Anna ducked under the first volley, whipped out her gun and shot the man in both knees. "Next." She called.

"Anna."

"James, what took you so long? Where'd you go?" Anna smiled in relief; she thought James had left for good.

"Let's stop this fighting jazz okay?" James said, "I know I agreed to help you, but _this…_fighting to die isn't right."

Her smile was gone in an instant, "No way, I'm almost done here, one more day James, don't give out now. I'm not going to stop fighting. It's almost all over."

"I'd rather you come with me without being forced, but that can be arranged if necessary." James narrowed his eyes, "Ten days I've watched you, each day more painful than the last, you're walking backwards, you'll go back to what you were, a thoughtless assassin. Do you want to die a criminal?"

Anna shook head and turned away from him, "I'm not leaving, I'm the winner."

"Then I'll fight you." James said, "I can win and you know it."

Anna laughed, "Then let's fight."

"Fists to fists." James replied.

James had managed to sneak up on her twice, a feat not easily accomplished. He had the skills, and he was bigger and stronger than her. Anna kept all of this in her mind; he's quiet, and probably fast. If I'm to win, I'll have to use my own unique advantages and skill to beat him.

Still, there was no need to go all out yet.

James stepped forward, Anna stepped forward.

Step, step, block strike, step, step, strike, kick, block.

James jumped up for a kick at her head, at that moment, Anna swung to dodge, and added the momentum to a low roundhouse. But somehow, miraculously, her kick didn't connect, and met thin air where she anticipated James' knees to be.

Arms wrapped around her neck in a chokehold, the same as before.

_Okay fine, time to go all out._ Anna grabbed his arm and pulled down, enough to get her chin into the crack of his elbow, so she won't be strangulated when she flipped him over her back. As James soared through the air, Anna jumped up and slammed his hand down over his chest, sending him crashing into the ground with more force than necessary. She was on top of him now, one knee on his chest with his arms pinned at his sides. James was immobilized. As strong as James is, as long as she kept the pressure constant, science and physics would forbid any reversal or momentum that could throw her off.

"I've seen him you know; he's really worried about you." James said.

"Shut up."

"You're being pathetic too, look at yourself; does L's absence really bother you that much?" James taunted with a smile on his face, without realizing it, Anna raised a hand to smash her fist into his face.

The pressure became unbalanced; James raised his hand and grabbed her wrist, turning her over.

Now she was pinned.

"You're nothing like you used to be Anna. You've chosen the way of the light, and you can't go back to the darkness, you're not good enough, or strong enough anymore. He made you merciful, you're going soft. Maybe I should tell him to come and find you."

Anger flared in her eyes, Anna clenched her teeth and twisted around, breaking free of his hold with her arms bent at an unimaginable angle. Then she grabbed his wrists and with strength obtained from rage, threw him into the meshed cage. "You've led an easy life, doing whatever you wanted, never pressured to doing what's right. What do you know? You haven't been through _anything!_ You don't know what it's like, so don't you start lecturing me like you know how I feel. I don't need him, I don't need anyone! I don't need you James; you can die there for all I care!"

"That is not a very nice thing to say." L sighed, emerging out of the shadows. He hopped on the platform lightly and opened the door, helping James to his feet. "Thank you James." He whispered, and James nodded.

He turned his bottomless black eyes on her, "Now, will you come quietly or do I have to fight you too?"

* * *

Author's Note: Dun Dun Dun...the tension... I'm debating wether or not i should write a sequel. It would be a good idea, but i'm so lazyyyyy... I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry for any OOCness because i never got to watch L act in this way either so...anyway REVIEW!!


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

* * *

"If you come back tomorrow I'll go with you." Anna said, _yeah, as a dead body._

"Tomorrow's situation will be different." L replied, his voice flat, his feelings and emotions undeterminable. "Now, Anna would you care to explain why you left to come to a place like this?"

Anna shook her head.

"Fine." L said and turned to the cage-master, "Guns then, if you please."

The cage-master tossed a pair of pistols to Anna and L. "Begin."

_Concentrate, just another opponent._

"You'll fail miserably if you think of me as just another opponent." L read her thoughts without even trying.

Anna narrowed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. The detective fixed his eyes on the bullet, and pulled his own trigger. The bullets met in midair and ricocheted off to the side. L took a step forward. "Why did you leave?"

_Shouldn't it be obvious to you?_ Anna thought.

"Enlighten me." L said; some frustration in his tone. He took another step forward, the bullets crushing into each other in the air and spun away by the force.

_He's not trying to hit me, he's only protecting himself._ Anna clenched her teeth as with each shot, the detective took another step forward. _He's better than he let on, I can't go back, I can't! I don't belong in that world!_

"I guess blood lust was in my nature." Anna replied.

"Lies." L took another step forward, the barrels of their guns barely an inch apart.

Anna tucked her gun away, and raised her fists to protect herself.

"Is this because you found out I have a _fiancée?_" L asked, narrowing his eyes.

_Good work Sherlock._ Anna thought, but remained silent.

L took another step forward, and they stood face to face, electricity seemed to buzz through the air with the tension. "Stella was the reason you left me for this God forsaken place?"

"I needed to get away from the righteous society. I don't belong there, and I don't need to." Anna whispered, then she dropped her head and glared at the ground, "I don't need you, L."

L took one last step forward and locked his fingers around the chain linked fence, trapping Anna between his arms against the fence. Anna looked up, "What do you think you're trying to do?"

"You don't need me, you say?" L casually leaned forward, analyzing the emotions behind her eyes and movements. He smiled slightly when Anna drew her gun and jabbed the end of the barrel into his neck.

"Don't even try it."

"But if you don't need me, why should it matter to me whether I live or die?" L tilted his head and whispered into her ear. Then ignoring the awed crowd and acting as if it's the most natural thing in the world, kissed her on the lips.

Anna was at a complete loss as to how to respond. She couldn't pull the trigger, she just couldn't, so she started by dropping her gun to the ground. She couldn't slip away, not with her back against the cage, and especially not since L had one arm around the waist and the other tangled into her hair, pulled free of the elastic and falling like a curtain around her shoulders.

To her surprise, L opened his eyes and looked into her amber eyes, his mouth still pressed against hers, waiting for her response.

_I'm going to tear myself up later for this, I have to get out of this somehow, I have to-_

_Wait, I'm going to tear myself up later for this anyway. Screw it; I'm taking what I can right now._

So she closed her eyes and kissed him back, her fingers tangled into his messy hair, her hand closed around his pale neck and pulled him closer. She felt L grin as he closed his eyes, satisfied with her response. It was like they were back in that hole under the broken house, ignoring the outside world and the bug-eyed audience, trapped in a dream of their own. L had put his life in her hands again, trusted her again, and she for the first time in the past thirteen days, she didn't want to slip into the darkness; she wanted to stay in the light. She wanted to stay with him.

_Wait, what? What am I thinking? I only have a day to live!_

Anna placed her hands firmly on his chest and pushed him away. Her train of thought completely disrupted. "Oh crap." She whispered under her breath. _What now? "What the hell were you doing?" seemed kind of wrong since she was kissing him back just as much as he was kissing her. Attacking him just seemed out of place after that little display and, "Sorry I had to stop" would just open the forbidden gate._

"Oh crap." She repeated.

"Hey." L lifted her chin up and looked with concern in his eyes.

_At least one of us has something to say._ Anna thought.

"Please come back with me." He whispered.

_I can't, it's for your own good, I'm doing this for your sake, because I love you._

"It's for your own good to just let me disapp-"

L grinned lopsidedly, "Finally, a clear message."

"What?"

The detective leaned forward again, "I love you too." He whispered by her ear, "Come back with me."

_He loves me? What about his fiancée?_

"Come back."

_Please don't hate me, Archangels, give me one more day. Let me be selfish, just this once._

"I don't think you've ever had to ask something of someone so many times before." She smiled.

L finally let out a sigh of relief, pulled her towards him by her wrist and hugged her tightly, "Let's go home." He said.

"Wait," Anna took a small step back and scanned the crowd, "James…James?"

"He's gone." L observed, "Come on, we've already made quite a big fuss here."

00000000000

"I came back with you, L, but you really shouldn't have come." Anna sighed. They were both sitting in her room, she sat on her bed, he crouched beside her, wobbling due to the unstable mattress, helping her rub out the sore knotted muscles on her back tense from days of fighting.

"Why did you leave?" L asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I'd rather hear it from you personally." L said, a little bit of frustration seeping through his voice. Unconsciously, he pressed harder on her muscles.

"Ouch." Anna winced, "Well, Stella's better for you than I'll ever be. I'm an assassin, the blood of people stained my hands forever. Stella's a FBI, and you're a detective, you could work side by side with all resources at your disposal, you're perfect for each other." Anna sighed, "Besides, she's willing to kill for you."

"All's well and good." L frowned, "Except for the fact that I don't love her."

"Her being your fiancée through that theory out the window," Anna scoffed. "Hey ouch! That hurts! Don't get angry, it's logical."

L eased the pressure, and brushed away her hair to the side and began unknotting her neck muscles. "It was arranged, like you said, at the time we seemed to be perfect for each other. All in all, we were just friends."

"_We _were just friends before this." Anna replied, "If you could even call it a friendship."

The detective fell silent.

"What?" Anna began to ask, but then his hand reached around her neck and pulled her chin towards him, meeting her eye.

"Was it really always just that?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I've always felt some tension, especially when I was trying to catch you." L shrugged and went back to unknotting her muscles, "At the time I passed it off as a compulsion to solve the case, after having some real competition. You?"

Anna thought for a while, "I told myself I was looking forward to repaying my debt to you so I can live freely again." She replied after a while, "For saving my life a couple of times, one for one, after all."

"You thought that if I…was with Stella, my life would be better. You thought that you were doing me a favor by not dragging me down with your bloody reputation- literally- and ruining my life." L summarized, "Reasonable."

"Yes." Anna replied.

"I sense that this isn't the only reason why you left." L changed the subject as he finished rubbing out the last few sore spots in her neck. "It's hard to identify the muscles in your back," he murmured, "May I?"

"Yeah." Anna pulled up the back of her shirt, letting L poke and prod the sore muscles and bruises.

L shook his head and let out a sigh at all the cuts and bruises, "How am I supposed to work with this?" he sighed, running down his pale fingers down her back as he tried to find a muscle beside a purplish bruise. "So, the other reason, ready to tell me?"

"I don't think I'm ready to tell you the other yet." Anna replied, "But I will tell you, before tomorrow morning comes, I promise."

L let out a huge sigh and fell forward, his forehead resting on her bare back. He felt her wince, and patted her shoulders to ease the sudden tension in the muscles, "Sorry, I was just eager to straighten out everything. It…unnerves me when unexpected things happen, like when you left."

"I need to straighten out my own thoughts before I can give you any answers." Anna answered as honestly as possible, "I'm not as good with words as you, after all."

"Okay," L nodded and exhaled deeply, his breath sending shivers along her spine. He lifted up his head and gently pulled her shirt back down to cover her back. "You have too many bruises for me to clearly find your muscles; I may end up doing more damage than good. We'll have to wait until those go down. He stood up and made his way to the door, "I trust you, Anna, you asked me to, and I do. Get some rest."

"Yeah." Anna looked back and smiled, "Thanks."

The rest was easier said than done. Anna stared at her watch as the minutes passed, her eyes following the tick of the needle as if in a trance.

"Only hours left!" a voice cackled, jolting her out of her semi sleep state.

"Ryuk." Anna followed the voice to the dark Shinigami shape, "how are you?"

"I came to deliver a message." Ryuk laughed, "I can't tell from whom, and don't kill the messenger. When L came to London, for a safety thing, he brought Yagami Light with him. The execution date is the same though."

Anna narrowed her eyes and glanced at her watch, "Oh no. First light of the date of execution, but since we're both in Britain now…it's here's time." She glanced at her watch and brought it to the correct time, "Which means a few hours shorter." She gritted her teeth, "And I thought I'd have tonight to think it through…"

The Shinigami cackled, "You catch on quick." Ryuk smiled deviously, then soared through the roof.

_Whoever sent me this message wanted me to leave the world without regrets._ Anna thought, _I can't leave things like this. But how?_

000

Downstairs, L sat before his piano, his fingers lingering over the ivory keys. _Which cord? Which note? _He paused, narrowed his eyes. _This one is right…_

A sad minor cord rang out. Followed by a deep, low resounding melody, accented precariously by a counter melody that flowed back and forth. It began fast paced, then fade back and slowed down again. Any trained ear could tell, he was arguing wit himself. He wanted answers, but he also wanted to be patient. What was Anna having so much trouble saying? What could possibly cause her to leave? It had to be something big, the last reason had something to do with his life, perhaps this had something to do with hers.

Wait…what did she do while he went on the walk with Stella? What did Stella say to her?

The melody quickened, the cords rand loudly, more aggressive.

"_She was willing to kill for you."_

"_She is fighting to die." James said._

_Fighting to die…_

The music came to a loud crash as L buried his face in his hands, his elbows resting on the keys. "She's going to die." L breathed. Without another thought the detective jumped up and raced for the door. He swung it open, only to find Anna stare up in surprise, one hand poised to knock.

"Anna…"

"So you've figured it out." She smiled, then stepped forward and they wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace.

L buried his face in her hair, not sure what to say. Then he felt it, the warm touch as Anna reached up and kissed his jaw. He pulled back, allowing just enough distance to bring his lips on hers. He felt no hesitation that he experienced earlier, only the intense desperation to live. He tried to soothe her by rubbing her back, but he was just as desperate for her to be alive as she was, and in the end his pale hands wrapped around her small frame, pulling her tightly against him. His hands reached up to her cheek, and was about to bring her closer when he felt a tear against his thumb. Anna pulled away, and only as she looked up at him with her red puffy eyes and raised a hand to his face did he realize she was wiping a tear from his eyes too.

She closed her eyes and cried into his chest, each sob sending shocks through her body. He too, leaned into her neck, his tears making their way from his closed eyes and onto her shoulder.

"When? How?" he whispered into her ear.

Anna stepped back and pulled Light's letter out of her pocket. "He left you a letter." She smiled, "On the paper of the Death Note."

_L:_

_This is Kira; Sheila Faust will die with me by heart attack. You have set my time of death, unfortunately for you, this means that your have also set hers. She will die when Yagami Light's heart is pierced by the bullets on November 1st of 2008, first light. If I die earlier, so will she, so don't even think about trying to save her. As the rays of the sun chases away the dead spirits of Halloween, may they take her also._

_Kira_

"Tomorrow, first light…" L murmured. "Yagami Light…"

"I went to see him while you were out with Stella. I wanted to convince Misa that he wasn't worth her trouble." Anna explained, "I didn't know that Mikami Teru had given him my real name…and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It doesn't matter though, since my lifespan has counted smoothly, as one of my payments and Sorrow's death. This is when I was destined to die. Eighteen years ago on November first, I was due to die, frozen in snow in a dark alley of Britain. But then Sorrow made that promise, and the Shinigami sacrificed a man, leading me to the orphanage before dying of a heart attack…now…Death Note is the only way I would die in such a time frame. I was saved by it…and now condemned by it."

L nodded, barely listening, he gazed into the distance, eyes boiling with the hurt of betrayal. "What a nice birthday gift…Light kun." Although he suspected Light of being Kira, some part of him registered him as his friend…at least until he was caught. Suddenly, everything came back clearly.

"_She wanted to fight for so many days; she's always counting down to November the first." James said, puzzled, "Maybe something important is on that day?"_

"_L, I've prepared a good gift for you, so on top of the happiness of my death, you get something else as a package."_

He understood his words now. He would have the death of Kira, accompanied by the death of the world's greatest assassin, almost like the beginning of a new era.

Minutes passed. L moved on to the most important issue: How was he going to spend his last hours with her?

They sat against the wall, her head resting on his shoulder, both their eyes staring emptily ahead of them.

"Hey Anna." L whispered eventually.

"Yeah?" she looked up.

"Let's go, I want some ice cream, and we have to make up for all the things you missed in this world."

00000000000000000000

The water rippled, the tiny waves blurring the picture. The observer quickly leaned back and wiped his eyes, heaving a sigh. "Be still." His powerful voice rang out gently, and the ripples faded. A dark haired man and a girl leaned against the wall in the image, tormented by fate.

He was so concentrated on the scene that he was only vaguely aware of another angel's presence behind him, and was a bit surprised to find his name called.

"Archangel Gabriel." The soft voice called.

"Lady Eva." The angel's golden eyes turned to the new comer, "What brings you here?"

"You've been here a while, looking down into the mortal realm." The blonde angel smiled and sat down beside him, her face saddened as she watched.

"She had to make that additional stupid promise with the Shinigami King, handing over her protection from the Shinigami powers." Gabriel seethed, seemingly angry. But Eva saw through his raging exterior to his troubled thoughts below the surface. He felt bad for the girl. "Even if she didn't, I would've protected the detective from Lust and the others. But because I can even less interfere with her…Lust was able to…"

"Yagami Light was propelled by Lust to write her name, wasn't he?" Eva sighed.

"Yes, so was Amane Misa when she killed the detective." Gabriel added.

Lady Eva's eyes hardened, "She was always the most persuasive of the Seven." She murmured, "She's a thorn in the flesh."

"Indeed."

The angel suddenly smiled, "Cheer up Archangel, things isn't as bad as they seem. They're prepared for whatever comes their way."

"The Seven Sins are nothing to be cheerful about, Lady Eva." Gabriel muttered.

"But I have good news from Lady Beth." Eva smiled, "Don't you want to know?"

"Lady Beth has seen something her visionary eyes?" Gabriel perked up immediately, "Tell me."

"Yes, Archangel," Eva grinned, "The War is going to be postponed, our girl found a way, maybe to maintain peace and balance between the spirit realms."

"What exactly did she see?" Gabriel questioned.

"She saw her with him."

"Approximately what time?"

"There were green trees, gentle wind, blooming flowers, and a beautiful sun." Lady Eva smiled, her eyes following Archangel Gabriel's back to the image in the pool, where snow drifted in the wind across the London sky.

* * *

Author's Note: If anyone was confused about the last sentence. Lady Beth saw them together during the summertime...but currently it's winter...what does it mean?? lol I know exactly what i means. Muhahaha. So anyways, a mistake i would like to clear up.

In a previous chapter long time ago, during the roof/first snow scene. L mentioned his birthday was a week from now/then whatever. Which doesn't match with the current timeframe. I don't know if any of you noticed that but just ignore it. :D Bad planning on my part. Also, I've decided about my uh...sequel thing :D

I will write it.

But...yes there's always a but.

But not right now. As in right after this story.

I will write it after the Prequel :D which takes place before this story which i will write after this story (if that made any sense). This idea was given to me by Osage and i owe tons of credit to her :D

So after i finish Detective's Assassin, which i'm telling you guys will probably end two chapters from now, I will be writing its Prequel, because i'm clearly not willing to give up my character Anna and her adventures. I haven't decided on the POV's yet. And after that i will be continuing this story in its sequel. The reason for this is just that...i don't have enough planned out right now. I never start a story without knowing its ending, which means having a goal to work towards. I've learnt that after not finishing many of my stories and disappointing a great many people. So until then, i need to generate as many ideas/scenes as possible to form a possible time line/plot. this is where you guys come in! I was also hoping on gathering some information on the titles. Should i continue with a series like title like The Detective's (blank) or come up with something else? For the Sequel i was thinking something to do with angels...and inspiration from Your Guardian Angel by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. His Guardian Angel? Something like that? Anyway, let me know in your reviews! I'm clueless about the title of the Prequel though...

Please review!

Hotori

PS: It's my first time having two romance scenes in one chapter. WHEW that was a ton of work! Thanks for reading! I'm sorry if the romance scene disappointed anyone but...I prefered simplicity over paragraphs and paragraphs on end of violent physical terms. That's just me, and i'm the author so...too bad! Other than that i don't have much to say. Have a good summer everyone and eagerly await the exciting end to Detective's Assassin!


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note

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The amusement park was huge. At first she had wondered why he bothered bring her here. After all, wasn't an amusement park for children? She was going to question him when he read her thoughts and gave her a lopsided smile. "You'll see." He had said.

And she did see. The rides were thrilling. This was what she should have been entitled to as a child, rides, not stimulations that could cost kill her. Riding safe, thrilling roller coasters as a child, enjoying the tense atmosphere in the Ferris wheel as a teen, laughing with her friends in the haunted house at each other's weak nerves should've been life. She was glad he was showing it to her now.

Not that the adventure had been without accidents. The paranoid side of her couldn't refuse checking for loose screws around the roller coaster, checking the lock functions on the Ferris wheel door and effectively destroying props in the haunted house earned them a few unwelcome stares, but L was able to efficiently patch up the damage with some money and well structured, unarguable sentences.

This ride however, is a new challenge entirely. It had began simply with a question.

"Hey Anna,"

"Yeah?"

"You still afraid of the water?"

"I don't think so, the Shinigami are done watching over my life."

"Then let's go."

She actually wasn't sure if she was still afraid of the water, but it was too late to turn back now. They stood in front of the gigantic door, the intimidating sign looming over them both.

Watermaze.

They had both changed into their swim suits- hers being a white two-piece and his black shorts- and were facing their challenge by the gate. The rules weren't too comforting either.

_One: No compasses_

_Two: No additional equipment besides goggles_

_Three: No coming back the front door_

_Tip: You are about to lose all sense of direction, if you really can't do it, please scream loudly so one of our staff will give you a hint. Thus you will be able to continue your journey at the cost of your pride. There are ropes on the side for you to hold on to, but the water is deep the whole way through. Only certified swimmers or people sixteen years or older may enter._

Even if all that didn't even make her nervous, the fact that L was shirtless for the first time in front of her made her a little giddy. She tried to block out the all too feminine side, to no avail.

The waterway was lit by an eerie green light, which reflected off the water and bounced in 360 directions. "Let's get going." She breathed, and dove off the platform into the water, hearing L's splash just as she surfaced.

_No fear- good._

"Stay close." L teased, treading water.

"Very funny." She replied, as they came to their first decision.

"Left or right?" Anna asked.

"One second." L took a deep breath, and dove, coming up with a small red flag, stationed four meters on the bottom of the maze. "Marker." He raised his eyebrows, and stuck it to the right side of the wall. "Let's go this way." He said.

They had no sooner turned the corner when something broke through the water's surface, coming straight at L's face. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, and raised his arm to block.

"You got bitten by a piranha." A machine laughed, "Haha, player 2, minus ten points. Current score: 0."

"Ouch." Anna laughed.

L shrugged and tossed the little rubber toy fish aside into a tube that brought it back to piranha central. "But my score is zero, and we've only just started. The fact it's not in the negatives means we have gained ten points by making the right turn, come on."

They swam forward, and Anna plucked another flag- this one with a thicker stem- from the side. They had only barely made a left turn when another piranha came flying their way, this time at Anna.

"Hiya!" she yelled, and chucked the flag at it, pinning it to the opposite wall before it had time to open its jaws and contact her. The little rubber fish was unusable.

L stared, "Destroying equipment, player 1 minus fifty points." He sighed, eyeing her with a playful glint in his eye.

"Proper use of given equipment. Player 1 add thirty points, current points, thirty." The machine beeped. "Please return both the flag and piranha to the service tube."

The detective's jaw nearly dropped.

"Wait, I should have forty points from making the right turn." Anna analyzed.

"This means that we just made a wrong turn that took off your points. We've got to go the other way." L smiled, "Good catch. The point system gives quite a few clues."

It was a long course. Soon they began to get tired, clinging on to the ropes instead of treading water the piranhas and other sea creatures also increased the rate and number in each of their ferocious attacks, and the intercom stopped reporting points somewhere along the middle. The last score it had given was when L nearly got pulled down by a giant squid, costing him fifty points.

It was an interesting maze; sometimes the waterway was so narrow only one person could squeeze through at a time, other times it required true trust in the partners. More than once, Anna cherished the feeling of clinging onto L's bareback- since he was the stronger swimmer- as he helped her across some currents. It was a challenging course they had set for themselves, choosing the expert level.

"Okay, so combining all the options, how many possible out comes are there?" Anna asked.

"Three to the power of three. Twenty-seven." L replied, "We've been through four."

"All of which turned us back here." Anna shivered. The water was sucking at her body temperature, and it's gone quite cold. L slid towards her on the rope, one are around her waist to keep her warm. "Thank you." She murmured, "There has to be a pattern."

"A pattern we have to know. We've seen it through out this entire maze." L continued. "Wait."

"Our most used turn that was correct was right…followed by straight, then left." Anna counted on her fingers.

"The fishes also came from right, straight, left in that order, over and over again."

They smiled, "Let's get going."

The eerie green light faded as they swam through the last of the watermaze, until there was a tunnel that was completely submerged by water. "I guess we swim through." L whispered.

"But we can't see light on the other end, we could potentially drown." Anna stated, "I know I sound paranoid but…I still think we shouldn't."

L smirked, "Well I'm going." He dove under the water and disappeared into the darkness.

"Wait!" Anna sighed, but what choice did she have? Taking in a deep breath, she dove under, swimming into the tunnel.

It really did seem to go on forever, and Anna's heart thumped with tension. But at last her head broke the water's surface and she gulped down the air greedily, all the while looking for L's familiar face. The detective was nowhere to be found, and Anna frowned. Hadn't L bothered to wait for her? For in front of her was the gate, exit to the Watermaze, and she saw with a grin that player 1, herself, came up with 200 points, and L had 190. Close call, but she had won, though it was pointless to gloat over her victory when he's not here.

_Might as well get out of here first,_ Anna thought, not welcoming the idea of anymore incoming threats from this bizarre maze.

She changed back into her normal clothes quickly, glancing worriedly at her watch as she put it on. "5:30am." She muttered to herself, "not long till sunrise." she felt a icy claw squeeze at her heart and bit her lip, "Not yet." She muttered, knowing the Shinigami were watching, "I have until sunrise you idiots."

She dried her hair as best she could, pulled it in a hasty ponytail, and walked outside, but what she saw there surprised her. "Matt! Mello! Near! Misa!" she exclaimed, running up to them.

"I called them." L said, "I thought maybe you'd like to see them."

_He didn't say "to say your goodbyes." _Anna thought with a laugh, but ran up to her old friends anyway. "Hey Matt." She smiled, "Thank you for everything."

"L told us." Matt stepped forward and gave her a hug, "I'll miss you."

"Don't think on it for too long." Anna hugged him back, "Will do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Look after Amane Misa for me."

"Sure." Matt said, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Anna grinned, and kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks Matt."

"No problem." The bronze haired boy winked, he took Misa's hand and smiled at the fearful blonde girl. He didn't blame for being scared, she was the second Kira and standing with the world's top detectives.

"Misa, will you keep the Death Note?" Anna asked.

"It's not the power of the notebook I wish to keep, but my memories." She replied.

"Keep it." Anna said, "I trust you."

Misa stepped forward and hugged her, "I'm sorry for everything I did."

"Thank you for coming to Britain and risking your life to help me, Anna." Near looked up at her, and Anna smiled, seeing that the boy had the same haunting eyes as L did. "I apologize for what happened in the end, it was bad planning on my part."

Anna shook her head, "You did great." She hugged Near, "I'm sorry I won't be able to work with you in the near future."

Near closed his eyes and hugged her back, "I can see what L love so much about you."

Anna stepped back, "Mello."

"Yeah." Mello replied, the atmosphere was awkward in a second. "I…I'm sorry." He scratched the back of his head, for once unsure of what to say. "It was great-" he hesitated. _It wasn't really great working with her…they fought a ton, what should he say? _"It was great that L found you." He said in the end, offering her his hand to shake.

"Yeah, it was." Anna laughed, relieved of the awkward silence. She shook his hand.

"Okay, let's hug." Mello sighed, and she laughed as he pulled her in for a hug.

L rolled his eyes and sighed. _Indecisive successors…_

Anna fell back into step beside him.

"All done?" he asked

"Yup." She replied.

"You missed one." A voice called, and a dark figure silently walked out of the shadows, his face becoming visible under a street light.

"James!" Anna smiled. L nodded, and she walked briskly up to him and hugged him tightly, "Thanks."

"No, thank you." James replied, "Guess what? I have a heart."

Anna grinned, "Then I've done my part."

"Thanks for coming." L said last of all.

They nodded, and one by one left, James giving her one last lingering look and a small smile. "Anna." L whispered, and she turned to follow him. "I hoped we'd have more time than… _this._ Years, decades…I never imagined it'd be hours."

She stayed silent, not knowing what to say. L sighed, and she followed him to a different section of the park, there was a steep hill but nothing else very interesting. As they walked to the top of the hill though, she understood. The park was on the very outskirts of the city, and the hill overlooked endless grassy fields. It was a place to watch the sunset…or sunrise.

Anna took a deep breath and sat down. L crouched beside her, and she set herself comfortably against his shoulder.

"I am sorry." L said, "You know I can't-"

"Yeah." Anna replied, "You can't let a dangerous criminal like Yagami Light live. It doesn't matter, either way, it's my time."

"I'll miss you." L sighed.

"I'll be back." Anna replied, "I should tell you. The deal I made with the Shinigami King."

"Your price?"

"Yes. My price, to serve him as a Shinigami for all of eternity, that's it." Anna said, "But I won't let it be that way. I have attachments here on earth, so I probably will never become a full Shinigami. It's very complicated, but there's a chance I'll be able to talk my way out of it."

"And if you can't?"

"It'll be a sad existence for us. I'll be stuck in Hell, and you'll be up in Heaven. When push comes to shove, we may even have to fight each other since the Shinigami King is waging some sort of war." Anna's tone toughened, "I won't let it come to that."

"Neither will I." he promised.

She looked up at him with a smile, and he looked at her with his haunting black eyes. Anna let out a sigh, and reached up, clasping her hand around his neck. L complied, and leaned down to kiss her.

The kiss began much the same way as the others did, their lips moving in synch with each other. Gently, but harbored with the intense feelings they had for each other. Then it began to feel different, and Anna opened her eyes when she felt him enclose her lower lip in his lips.

L's eyes were open again, waiting to see what her reaction would be. She knew he could feel her grinning, and parted her lips. Suddenly she felt heat burning from the top of her scalp down to her toes at their new connection. Her arms wrapped around his neck, his fingers tangled in her hair, enclosed in the darkness that surrounded them.

L felt her hands suddenly tighten as a ray of light pierced his eyelids. He slid his hand through her hair and supported her back, pressing her tightly against himself, holding her like she held him. Anna felt her heart stop, and she buried her face in his shoulder, all her body longing for air. Then she relaxed, there was no point in fighting, she let her muscles fall limp. There's was too much to say for the little time she had, so she didn't try to speak much either. She casually eased up to his ear, "I left something for you in my room."

She felt him nod, and grinned. More light pierced the sky, turning the clouds into a bloody, bloody red.

L held her limp body in his arms, "Come back, I know you will." He said, not knowing if she could hear.

Then Ryuk's form erupted from the sky, his shadow falling over both of them like a cloud. "I'm here for the girl." The Shinigami said, only for once, there was no smile on his face, only dead seriousness.

"I know." L replied.

The Shinigami floated closer, and then extended a hand that went straight through the limp body. When Ryuk pulled it back, Anna's shimmering soul emerged; she rubbed her eyes, and looked back at L with a sad smile.

"I'll need her body too." Ryuk said, "For her transformation, you know."

The detective hesitated, but stood up, carrying the body, and offered it to the Shinigami.

His expression still containing none of its usual humor, Ryuk extended a hand towards a sky, and a black gate appeared out of thin air. "Any last words?"

"Destroy the Death Note." Anna said hastily, "You were reborn with the memories when you were brought back to the Shinigami Realm, so you'll still remember everything. Also…L, life does go on, and time flows. If ever…you don't want me to come back, if you're happy with your life and move on, just say so, I'll be watching."

"I would always want you back." L said with a touch of anger in his voice.

The shimmering soul smiled, "Fate will deliver the message." Then she turned and nodded to the Shinigami, and Ryuk hauled the body and soul through Hell's Gate.

L turned around, and hurried back to his house.

_She left something for me…_

Author's Note: What to say...I spent a long time planning this out, the setting for her death was really hard, i didn't know where to put them or how to describe the scenery. Use ur imaginations! The last chapter is really short, but i wanted to save it. I'm starting to gather some ideas to jot down for the uh, second story, which i have yet to name. So give me suggestions!

I'm not sure how i wrote this chapter...it's weird...oh well, give me ur response by reviewing!

PS: readers that want pictures, any email u give me on a PM or review will not show up, so make sure u have it on a profile or put spaces between the letters or something. thanks

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	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Disclamer: I do Not own Death Note. (I WISH!! I DeSPERaTEly WISH!!) okay..my rant is done...

* * *

THREE YEARS LATER

L walked along the pavement road of Britain, flowers in his hand. It was time to visit her "grave" again. There was so many times when he stared up at his ceiling and tried to talk to her. Knowing she was watching, hoping she could hear, but he had never gotten a response. Her last words to him, also repeated in the note that she had left, was a mystery.

_Fate will deliver the message._

His cell phone beeped, and he took it up in annoyance. Matt's voice came from the other side.

"Mission Accomplished." He said, "Our girl did a fabulous job, poor guy didn't know what was coming."

"I thought I told all of you _never_ to call me at this time of day." L sighed.

"Sorry, Misa was excited, she wouldn't wait, she had to have me report her success to you-" Matt's voice was cut off, and replaced by Misa's.

"Misa caught the criminal already, come on!" the blonde chattered on excitedly, "I did everything just right, I even got his confession on tape and everything! I'll be-" her voice trailed off, it wasn't a comfortable subject, even after three years.

"You'll be as good as Anna someday." He told her. "Write a detailed report and I'll see you and Matt tomorrow at ten in the morning."

"Okay, sorry for the interruption, bye!"

_Click._

L continued his walk to the graveyard. He didn't really see a point in visiting a fake grave, but if Anna was ever going to come back, there had to be one place where she could leave a message or something, he moves around, and although she might be watching…

The detective narrowed his eyes as he spotted a curious animal lying beside the gravestone. A white dog, or wolf, or dog, he couldn't tell. Its fur was matted and dirty, it was obviously exhausted, maybe even on the verge of death. L frowned and crouched before the animal and felt around its neck, it had a collar. With one pale finger he lifted the round name tag around the bright red collar.

_Fate._

He smiled, "Fate will deliver the message."

The dog stared up at him with intelligent eyes, and L felt around his collar some more, until he slipped a white piece of paper from it.

Scribbled hastily on the piece of paper were three words. "The last sunrise."

The message was clear enough.

000

L made his way to the hill where he and Anna saw the sunrise that brought her death. As he approached the top of the hill, he saw a figure shrouded in a dark cloak, contrasting against the brightness of the sun's morning rays.

Fate followed at his heels, and barked twice; happily wagging his tail as he ran up to the cloaked figure. The cloaked person bent down, and L was surprised to see a human hand extend out of one sleeve and pet the dog on its head. It was also then that he noticed that the figure wasn't tall like Ryuk or Rem or Sorrow at all. It had a human height. Who was it?

"Thank you, Fate." The female voice whispered to the dog, then turned around. "Aren't you come to say hello?" she asked, with everything about her miraculously…

Human.

* * *

Author's NOte: SOOOOOOo IT's done...

now what...

ummmmmmmmmmmmm

teehee? Don't kill me?

Not sure how you guys would feel about the last chapter...i mean..it IS kinda short...okay, not kinda. SHort. I could imagine you guys now. (YOU MADE ME WAIT THIS LONG for THIS?! DIEEE!!)

right. sry.

but you won't kill me because you want the SEQUEL...(which i'm kinda too lazy to write but i will try... and the PREQUEL. That too...sigh...so much work.. This author's note may be longer than the story, but that's OKAY!! (not) oh well.

Oh right. Elle. Incase you didn't get my email, you can translate my story into Spanish :D As long as i have the credits it's fine. Link would also be greatly appreciated. :D:D Email me to let me know what's up.

Ummm...what else...should i sayyyyyyyyy...oh, right. I may actually write the sequel before the prequel...it's still undecided, but i've got a semi-plot worked out. So add me on Author's Alert to keep in check.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO READ THIS STORY!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! With a few exceptions...cough cough lol I'm kidding. Thanks so much though! This story wouldn't have taken shape without your support. Like if this story had like two reviews per chapter like my first story did...i would've given up long ago. There's no way i would write a thirty eight chapter story that's like300 pages on microsoft word for two people. But it's thanks to you all. You've earned this story for yourselves! Thank you so much! Annnnd...until next time!!

Hotori

PS: A sneak peak may be updated to this story :D


	39. Sneak PeekTrailer

His Guardian Angel: Sneak Peek

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. The plot and character Anna as well as any other OC(s) from The Detective's Assassin belons to me.

I'm doing this more or less to alert people to the presence of the sequel, hereby updated!! Think of this as kind of a trailer thing. This will also be used as a summary in the beginning of the first chapter of HGA.

* * *

My name is Anna. I used to be an assassin, the best in the world. Then, naturally, the best had to come face to face with the best, and I was challenged by no other than L, the world's greatest detective.

It was a long and tiresome struggle, one in which neither of us could best the other. The victims increased, the death toll was counting. I was confident of my win. And then, of course, he went and took an action I never thought he would. Despite his brilliant and daring stratagems, I held strongly to my bias that the authority were people who put themselves behind locked door, directing others from a haughty and omniscient point of view. I believed that they hated to get their hands dirty, and they would never dare to confront me without comfort of their guards.

I thought L was the same, just like them. No name, no face, just a brilliant mind behind a locked door with no intention of putting himself in danger.

Except then, he shattered everything I believed in.

He stepped out of his locked doors, he had no back up, he got his hands dirty, he confronted me alone.

Even then, breathless as I fought him, I thought I could take him down. But then, he allowed me to capture him, and ripped apart my safe haven from within, destroyed everything I had, everything I worked for, and gave me something new. He gave me a will to live.

He's saved me from the executioners, but not only them. Five times he saved my life. Only a few times I repaid the debt. Despite my efforts, I owed him, and I couldn't let that happen. So, I was eager when I received his call, asking me to be his black hand in tracking down the supernatural murderer, Kira.

Nothing ever goes the way you expect to when you're with L. But this time, something happened that neither of us expected. Through this series of events, I saved his life, he saved mine. I fell into freezing rivers, was pounded down by a rain of bullets, overcame all my fears, and confronted and defeated a Shinigami in battle. All because of him.

All for him.

And then, I died, and I promised him that….since I still owed him favors, I would come back.

I would come back as His Guardian Angel.

I didn't realize though, the mistakes that we'd made, the hearts we'd shattered, the promises we'd broken for each other. I didn't see the monster we were creating, until it was wreaking havoc upon the world. I didn't realize it then, and now it's too late.

It's too late, because I no longer remember.

00000000000000000

My name is Delilias, the sin of Deceit, the Eighth Sin.

I am a Halfling Shinigami, one of the Greater Dead, and second in command of the Shinigami realm under command of the Shinigami King.

My mission: to destroy the Seven Archangels and the Kingdom of Heaven.

My assets: all the armies of Shinigami I desire, and the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

My obstacle: L Lawliet, and the faint, vague memories of my love for him.

* * *

Author's Note: There you are then! Review and let me know what you think, then it's only a few clicks away to the first chapter of HGA!!


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